Only Guy
by Marine101
Summary: Leroy Jethro Gibbs, former marine and a gun toting federal agent but at home, he's a guy trapped in the world of women. With his wife and three daughters Gibbs has strayed into foreign territory, how will he cope?
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs strolled in at noon after Mike decided to let them go early. He could not wait to sand the boat and let his troubles melt away. Sadly he had a long wait:

Jenny was standing in the den, his sanctuary, an anxious look on her face and their oldest daughter Kate was nervous and jittery. What the heck was going on?

"Hey honey," Jenny greeted him

"What's going on around here?" he enquired

"You remember Kate's prom?" Jenny asked quietly, her hand rubbing circles on his back

"Yes, still don't approve of that jackass Steve she went with," Gibbs growled playfully and Kate was tired of Jenny beating around the bush

"I'm pregnant Dad," Kate told him and the second the words left her mouth, she felt her body go limp. She hurried up the stairs, leaving her mom to deal with him.

"WHAT!" Gibbs thundered his face changing colours.

Jenny tried calming him down but that was impossible. Jenny was suddenly regretting breaking the news to him in the den, more importantly the one room in the house that had guns including his old sniper rifle.

In all the time Jenny took to think, Gibbs had punched the desk subconsciously but the force caused the wood to crack.

"I'm gonna kill Steve," he said his eyes narrowing and moved toward the locked case of his rifle.

Jenny put a restraining arm across his chest," His name is Stan and he has left the country."

Gibbs moved toward the door saying he needed some time alone. Jenny heard the screech of his Dodge Challenger and sat down on the couch, hoping he went to Mike.

Gibbs pulled up in front of the house that belonged to his boss. He flung the door open and strolled in.

"Probie!" Mike said surprised

"Mike, Kate's pregnant," he announced flopping onto the couch

"Well, that's unexpected. So you want backup?," Mike asked with a grin

"Wanted, the bastard left the country to go to college," Gibbs told him, the anger becoming prevalent again.

"Jethro you have to support Kate, she's a child and she's gotta be confused, even lost and her old man going ballistic is the last thing she needs." Mike said, his grin disappearing

"When did you become so wise?" Gibbs asked his usual personality coming through

"Must be sleep deprived so get out, go home and support that kid!" Mike grunted

"On it Boss," Gibbs replied, suddenly excited to have another kid

"God, I hope Katie has a son," he mumbled speeding home.

* * *

If anyone wanted to say anything as Kate's pregnancy became talk of the town, they did not. It helped that her father was Leroy Jethro Gibbs so all Kate got was the occasional stare that was met with the traditional Gibbs glare.

Ziva jumped down the stairs in her soccer gear, ball tucked under her arm," Ready to go?"

"Come on," Gibbs said waving towards the door. Gibbs decided to take the truck.

"Dad, Abby says soccer make my legs look thick!" Ziva complained

"Hey kiddo, guys like a girl with a sturdy foundation," Gibbs said with a wink," don't tell your mother!"

"We are playing the boys! I'm worried," Ziva said nervously

"Are there any cute ones?" Gibbs asked jokingly, trying to calm her down a little

"NO! Who told you about Tony DiNozzo?"

"Play aggressive, take the game to them," Gibbs advised after he got over the little outburst

With that Gibbs dropped her off at practice and left. Gibbs wondered how long it would take until that little gem reached his wife's ears.

* * *

Gibbs picked Ziva up from soccer and she was quietly fuming so he asked," What's wrong kid?"

"What's wrong? You said play aggressive and I ended up spraining Tony's ankle! Now my entire soccer team calls me Queen Kong!"

Gibbs stayed quiet, teens all riled up weren't his expertise.

When they arrived home, Ziva ran in to be greeted by Jenny

"Hey hon, how was soccer?"

"He ruined my life!" Ziva yelled as she ran up the stairs

Gibbs walked in and responded to Jenny's look of confusion," I can explain,I may have ruined her social life!"

Jenny looked heavenward, what the heck?

* * *

Abby burst after dinner," Sorry I'm late for dinner but we got a flat tyre and it took forever for a Triple A to get there!"

"Please don't tell me that you called a strange person to change your tyre!"

"Then why did you give me an autoclub card?"

"That is for real emergencies! Like maybe a meteor hitting the car! Where's Michael?"

"He's at the tanning salon," Abby said flippantly

Gibbs doubled over," It hurts to hear that! I don't think you can ever rely on this guy so you are grounded until you figure out how to change a tyre."

"It's not fair!"

"Life is not fair!" Gibbs yelled at her retreating back

Jenny shook her head and Gibbs turned around asking," Where is Kate?"

"Shopping for baby things,"

"Why did you not go with her?" Gibbs asked

"She didn't want me to!" Jenny whined, put out

Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and kissed her," Honey I can't wait for another baby,"

"You want Kate to have a son, don't ya," Jenny smiled

"Yes, I do. That so wrong since you didn't squeeze out a son of me?"

"Hey that's your fault; you kept giving me X chromo zones when every cell in this body already has two of those!"

"Don't get all sciency on me, just say I'm sorry," Gibbs said smirking as he pulled her close.

Ziva run into the room screaming, grabbing Gibbs around the waist

"Hey, Ziver what's up,"

"Tony DiNozzo!"

"Sprained ankle Tony DiNozzo?"

"Yup, he called me. He said he liked the way I played and he asked me out dad! My first date, I'm gonna be aggressive just like you taught me!"

"No, aggressive is bad!" Gibbs yelled as Jenny grabbed his waist again, pulling him in for a kiss again.

"I love you," Gibbs told her

"because of my sturdy foundation?" Jenny enquired

Gibbs twisted the top half of his body to yell," SNITCH!" before focusing on Jenny again.

**11 Oct 2011**


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs was sitting at his desk, going through paperwork, bored to death. His phone rang and he rushed to answer it, hoping for something, anything to get him out of the office for a while.

"Jethro, Kate's in labour," Jenny's excited voice came through

"I'll be there in five," he said grabbing his gun and badge and making a beeline for the elevator, yelling over his shoulder to inform Mike.

As he drove towards the hospital he realised that maybe he should go home first.

He pulled into the driveway not into the garage knowing that he would go to the hospital. He entered the house and was surprised that Abby wasn't there. Ziva was still at school so he searched each room and was in the kitchen when the garage door flew open to reveal Abby.

"I changed a tyre!" she said proudly

"You did?" Gibbs asked shocked

"Yes, but you know that pumpy thing?" she said motioning

"Uh, jack?"

"Aha, you need a new one."

"I'm proud of you, Abs,"

"So can I go get Michael?"

"Sure, your keys are on the counter, but be back soon if you want to see the baby"

"Yay," Abby yelled," We still have time to get our manni peddi's"

Gibbs looked horrified, what the hell happened to men?

He grabbed a soda and gulped it down before driving to the hospital. As he expected, he was banished to the waiting room and left in suspense. He paced around the room for 3 hours until Jenny demanded that he go fetch Ziva and make sure everything was okay.

He was once again bored out of his skull so he agreed, knowing that it was still a long time until he met his grandkid. Ouch! That made him feel old, grandpa, maybe the kid could just call him Gibbs but knowing Kate that wouldn't happen.

Gibbs was nearly at the school when he remembered that Ziva told him that she was going to the library for a project. He turned the car around and stopped at Starbucks to get him a cup of coffee. He decided to see if anything had changed in the time he was gone and went back to the maternity ward.

"You know, your daughter is cursing you and your damned stubbornness." Jenny told him with a grin as she sat down for a while in the waiting room

"Sure, blame me, you people are blameless," he declared

It was 20 hours later when Gibbs finally heard the cry of a baby. This is it; the moment of truth. Jenny emerged with a ridiculous smile beckoning for him to follow. He entered to find Kate chiding the baby

"You are too young to be glaring," She scolded gently and softly

"So?" Gibbs asked

"So what?" Kate asked with a teasing grin

His response was a mild glare, destroyed by his full blown grin and curiosity.

"Well, you will be happy to know that I have a son!" Kate's voice went a little high

"Thank God!" GIbbs whispered, lifting the baby into his arms, "I am so glad," Gibbs told the child.

The baby just stared unblinkingly at Gibbs and Gibbs laughed.

"Well done," Gibbs coogratulated and Jenny shook her head waiting for the next question,

"What's his name?" Gibbs asked, and there it was

"Eric Daniel," Kate responded

"Your mom tell you?"

"Actually no, I thought of it," Kate said proudly," I wanted to name him after you but Leroy was out of the question and Eric had a similar meaning so,"

"Hey, anybody informed your dad?" Jenny put in

"Nope," Gibbs responded

"I was too busy pushing," Kate added

Jenny glared before phoning him herself then telling Gibbs that they better get home before Abby threw a wild party. Gibbs reluctantly left, promising Kate that the nursery would be ready before she came home.

**21 June 2012**


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, beautiful wife, beautiful night, great cup of coffee at the end of the workday. Couldn't be better." Gibbs said reclining in the chair

"Dad!"

"You never wanna get too happy. They sense it, then they just crush it." Gibbs thought out loud before yelling his response," What?"

"I'm meeting Michael at the mall. Can I have some money for java Jimmy's?" Abby asked coming into view

"Coffee? We got coffee right here." Gibbs said holding out his cup

Abby took a sip and threw the rest of the coffee into a pot plant, "Oh! God, that's horrible."

"Hey!" Jenny shouted

"That was my coffee." Gibbs put in

"So can I have $20, or," Abby started again

"$20 for a cup of coffee?" Gibbs enquired

"I'm a huge tipper. It's kind of my thing. I-I just feel so sorry for anybody that has to wear an apron."

"You ask me why I put rum in here? This is why." Jenny told him

"If you want money, maybe you should do what other people do." Gibbs suggested

"Get my own reality show. Dad, I'm trying."

"How about a part-time job? "

"Job?Come on. Oh, my God. Are we poor?"

"You are. We're doing very well." Gibbs said with a smile

"You sure about this?" Jenny asked, staring

"She's 16—" Gibbs started

" I'm 17, dad." Abby corrected

"We should think about getting her a job."

"Well, it's just easier to give her money." Jenny told him

"Well, we just can't be lazy with our kids. We're better than that." Gibbs coached

"Are we?"

"Mom! Dad!" Ziva yelled

"Go, go." Jenny yelled

* * *

"Mother... Father!" Gibbs yelled as Kate glared at him

"Oh, that is so dangerous." Kate commented

"Oh, I really whacked my shin." Gibbs cursed

"No, Eric-he could have gotten into those cleaning supplies."

"My tibia is throbbing. I'm seeing stars here." Gibbs went on

"You know, we should baby-proof the house. You know, there's that guy on TV that does it." Kate put in

"Oh, I know who you mean. He's all over the Internet, too." Ziva added

"There's some clicking come from inside my knee. Can you hear that? Listen." Gibbs went on

"Found him." Ziva said turning the laptop around:

_**Hi, folks.**_

_**Bet you didn't know that if you have children, your house is a deadly time bomb, waiting to explode stairs-peril! Why, even the tv you're watching right now In fact, in the time since this ad began, six more tots have tried to eat something larger than their own oesophagus.**_

_**Come on! Come on! Poor boo-boo Bobby.**_

_**Don't let this be you.**_

_**Instead, call me, Riley McAllister, advanced child-proofing expert.**_

_**We worry so you don't have to.**_

_**Trademark pending.**_

"Certified baby-proofer? How is that a job?" Gibbs questioned

"You don't think any job's a job unless it's your job." Jenny said

"I'm just saying, you don't need a professional to baby-proof. Don't want him in that little cupboard down there, you use one of these. It's called a rubber band. You move- You hear that clicking? Huh? Loop it a couple times around there like that Baby-proof. That's what your mom and I did when you guys were kids." Gibbs told them

"Yeah, we only had to call poison control twice." Jenny agreed

"Yeah. Once was your mom's potato salad."

"Oh, I'm so sick of hearing about that potato salad."

"I lost a quart of water that day."

"You never liked my mother."

"That's 'cause she tried to kill us."

"No, I- potato salad, mayonnaise- the point is you kids turned out fine."

"Look at you, first day of work." Jenny commented as Abby entered

"I still don't get why I have to have a job. It's so unfair!"

"Oh, you're gonna be selling clothes. You love clothes, and you get to work at the mall. You love the mall." Jenny tried

"I think it's good you're getting a job. You treat dad like an ATM," Ziva put in

"Yes, and I'm not an ATM You know how I know? I only speak English." Gibbs said with a smirk

* * *

"Daddy? - Daddy." Abby called as she entered the bullpen

"Hey. Aren't you supposed to be at work? " Gibbs asked looking up from his desk

"Yeah, it's my lunch break." Abby finished, "Hey, can you front me $500? There was a workplace accident."

"What happened?" Gibbs asked exasperated

"I accidentally used my employee discount to buy a lot of cute clothes."

"This isn't the right job for you." Gibbs decided

"That's so weird. That's exactly what my manager said."

* * *

"Why is there a van out front that says "Safe Havens"? " Gibbs asked walking in

"It's the baby-proofing guy. He's here for a consultation." Kate told her father

"I know who it is. It's that huckster from TV." Gibbs spat

"What if I promise we won't do anything unless we're both on board?" Jenny proposed

"Oh, this is like we're not gonna buy a floral comforter unless we're both on board." Gibbs retorted

"It's not floral. It's paisley. Are you gonna participate or not?" Jenny defended

"Or not." Gibbs said

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As the child-proofer expert droned on and on Gibbs kept interrupting and Jenny tried to tame him, "Gibbs, you said you didn't wanna participate."

"Look, I'm really sorry about him. He's just angry because well, we don't really know why." Kate said with a shake of her head

"I think we should just do it." Jenny told him, pulling him aside

"What happened to we won't decide anything unless both of us say "yes"?" Gibbs asked

"I-I know, but I changed my mind. Look, this guy has gotten into my head. Apparently, there's peril everywhere!" Jenny said

* * *

Gibbs was trying to open a drawer," Ugh. That baby-proofer made a mess of everything. I'm gonna have to burn this house down and start all over again. There's no way," Gibbs began yelling

Ziva walked over and pulled it open only for Gibbs to defend," I loosened it."

"Ah, Eric can't open it either." Ziva said with a grin

"You're just acting stupid to make a point, but it's not gonna work. Some baby-proofing was necessary. Deal with it." Jenny said with a pointed look moving over to kiss him

"You're gonna try to get a kiss after saying "deal with it"? Come here. But only because there's some butter left on your lips." Gibbs said cheekily

"Well, dad, time for me to file for a little something called unemployment." Abby said

"All right, you're not unemployed." Gibbs replied," I got you a new job delivering pizzas."

"Ooh, I'm a food handler? But what about my dignity?" Abby whined

* * *

"Little angrier than usual, Gibbs, huh?" Mike asked as Gibbs punched the screen in front of him.

"Am I? " Gibbs wondered

"Everything okay?" Mike wanted to know

"Nah. They're baby-proofing my house 'cause of Eric. I think somebody trimmed my fingernails while I was sleeping." Gibbs wondered out loud

"Well, they should have painted them pink, too, because you're living like a lady." Mike told him with a glare

"Come on. Don't start." Gibbs said flippantly

"Ah, it's too late. I've started. Baby-proofing. Come on. Bumps and bruises are how you learn. Bumps and bruises and scar tissue- that's how you grow. "

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"Ziver, I just got a weird text from Abby. It says she's "slinging 'zas." Jenny said slowly

"What?"

"Is that code for something that makes me a bad mother?"

"No clue. I-I don't speak Abby."

"It means I got her a job delivering pizzas." Gibbs said as he walked in

"I mean, isn't that dangerous? Why don't you just get her the graveyard shift at a liquor store?"

"Cause she's not old enough? Baby, delivering pizza's not dangerous. I did it as a kid."

* * *

"Why are we following Abby in my van?" Pacci asked Gibbs

"Because, if she sees my truck, she'll know it's me. Gotta follow her, but not too close. She's going right. Stay with her. Right, right, right, right, right. This is horrible. I want her to be independent, but I want her to be safe. How do you protect 'em and let 'em go at the same time?" Gibbs wondered out loud

"I think you should just tell Abby this was a bad idea and that she needs to quit." Pacci told him

"I remember when I was your age; everything's possible, even admitting you're wrong to a household filled with women." Gibbs said with a shake of his head

* * *

"We're taking Eric out for frozen yogurt as an excuse to get frozen yogurt, you wanna come?" Kate asked

"Nah, your dad's out, and I'm going to have a glass of wine and watch some trashy show that he would just ruin by shouting 'that would never happen'."

"Yeah, try watching cartoons with him."

Jenny tried opening the wine cupboard but it wouldn't budge," Ugh! Stupid peril."

* * *

"She's pulling over. Right there, right there. Slow down, slow down, slow down. I'm gonna go in and take a look. I want you to keep the motor running. Don't make a sound." Gibbs whispered to Pacci

* * *

"Aah! Oh, boy." Jenny cursed as she squeezed her juice box a little too hard. She went to the bathroom to wash it off and needed to pee but no matter how much she tried to lift the seat it refused to budge.

She was desperate and did something she never thought she would, she eyed the kiddie potty.

* * *

"So what happened again? " Jenny teased

"What aren't you getting here, honey? Our daughter thought I was a stalker, so she sprayed mace in my face with such speed and accuracy. I'm actually quite proud of you." Gibbs said a washcloth on his eyes

"Do you mind if I find another job?" Abby asked

"No, I think it's a good idea- - I think it's a good idea to get another job."

"Hey, thank you for stalking me." Abby said, walking away

"That's what dads are for." He replied

"Guess who peed in the kiddie potty?!" Kate yelled and waited for an answer, Gibbs didn't bother and Jenny was turning red fast.

"Eric!" Kate voiced as if it were obvious

"Yeah, of course! Eric." Jenny agreed

"Oh! I'm so proud of him. I'm gonna go get my camera! And then I'm throwing way all his diapers!" Kate said happily

"Uh maybe hang on to a couple! " Jenny yelled at her retreating back

"Uh, you know, you, uh, you might have been right about the baby-proofing." Jenny told Gibbs turning towards him

"I was right?"

"Yeah. I know. I'm as stunned as you."

"It's bringing tears to my eyes, and I don't think it's just the mace."

"But you were wrong about the pizza delivery."

"Well, you were more wrong."

"What, are you keeping score?"

"No, but if I was, it'd be 14-7."

"And we went little nuts with the whole baby-proofing thing. So, uh, if you're on board, I think we should just dial it back."

"What about Kate?"

"Ugh! Mother-father! Nothing opens around here! "Kate yelled from where ever she was

"I think she'll be okay with it." Jenny said quietly

**3 November 2013**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: First: With Abby's unique taste I picture her as maybe a fashion designer or something in the creative line of things, **

**Two: Kate has a job in a restaurant because she feels she shouldn't rely on her parents with Eric.**

**Third: Eric is two from this chapter because it gives me a little bigger working space.**

"What are you doing?" Jenny asked, walking into the kitchen

"Cleaning a flintlock musket from the revolutionary war while enjoying a little bacon and biscuits." Gibbs responded, wiping the barrel

"Can't you do that in your den?"

"The bill of rights says I can do this wherever I want to do this."

"Really? Well, what if your 2-year-old grandson walked in here?" Jenny questioned, eyebrows raised

"And overpowers me?"

"Your back could be turned. You could be reaching for a piece of bacon."

"Yeah. He could grab the musket out of my hand, shove me to the ground, pour the correct amount of powder in here, take the ramrod, jam it down there, get a musket ball, put that in there, take the ramrod back out, jam that down there, half-cock it, put a percussion cap in there, fully cock the thing, and somehow shoot me in the foot."

"Just keep the safety on."

"Honey, this whole gun is a safety."

"Morning, mom. " Ziva greeted, opening the fridge

"Hi, sweetie." Jenny said looking around for her coat

"What you got there? A .69-caliber flintlock?" Ziva asked, leaning in for a closer look

"That's my girl." Gibbs praised

"Hey, can I camp out at the Arena for Katy Perry tickets Thursday night? "

"You bet. You know how I feel about camping."

"No, Jethro, Honey, it's a school night."

"Oh, that's right. School night. Can't go. Killjoy strikes again." Gibbs muttered

"What was that?" Jenny turned to glare at her husband

"Look, Ziva was just saying how nice you looked, and I was I was agreeing with her." Gibbs corrected hastily

"Well, it just didn't seem like nearly enough time went by for you guys to say all that." Jenny stated

"There's never enough time, baby, to tell you how good you look." Gibbs flattered with a charming grin

Jenny nodded knowingly

* * *

"Hey, Jen, could you come in here a minute? I hung up my new gun."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yeah? Yeah. Well, you don't seem happy about it."

"Well, the simplicity of it in contrast with my new shotguns makes the whole den look a little busy."

"Sometimes I don't know if you're Billy the Kid or Billy Elliot."

"Yay! I'm going to hell." Kate yelled

"Hey, Kate, stop for a second. Listen. This isn't gonna last forever. And you're doing the right thing. You're saving money. You're applying to colleges. You're doing everything I did when I was your age, except you're taking care of a baby, and I was taking care of this chopped and channelled Mercury with a flathead. I loved that car. It was so cool because I had these side pipes,"

"Yeah, yeah, dad, I know I should just suck it up, but last week, my manager, who hates me –"

"He doesn't hate you."

"He hates me. He hates me. He took me off of station one, and he stuck me at the counter where nobody tips."

"Well, speak up. Stand up for yourself."

"Honey, honey, you have to stand up for yourself. Your dad's right. I mean, when I was working at that yogurt shop in high-school, my boss had me work every Friday night. And all of my friends- they were all out, they're having a great time."

"Oh. Well, what did you do about it?"

"Nothing. I-I was just getting it off my chest."

"This is amazing!" Abby yelled running down the stairs, "They're having open auditions for "America's next hot teen model" here in DC, and they're only expecting, like, 10,000 girls, and 12 get in, so I'm pretty confident." Abby explained motioning to her face

"But, honey, isn't that the show where all the girls end up with eating disorders?" Jenny asked with a concerned look

"I know! I can't wait! And all I have to do is bring in photos, a bio, and permission from my parents." Abby hyped, "So is it okay? "

"Will you miss any school?" Gibbs wondered

"No more than usual." Abby answered with a grin

"Well, you know, uh, you know, follow your passion, huh?" Gibbs told her, walking away

"Yes!" Abby yelled

"Ah. Well, uh, your father and I are gonna discuss this later." Jenny said, concern and worry showing

"Oh, I know what that means.' Abby groaned

"Honey, it might mean yes." Jenny tried

"Will it?" Abby probed

"No." Jenny said sternly chasing after Gibbs, "Gibbs "

"Honey, what is the harm in letting her try out?" Gibbs answered the question before she voiced it

"Really, honey? A teen model?" Jenny demanded

"Yeah. She doesn't like people telling her what to wear. I think the universe will take care of this one." Gibbs said

"While the universe is trying to figure it out, I look like the bad cop." Jenny vented

"That's 'cause you're good at it. That's why we're a great team. I give 'em freedom. You set boundaries." Gibbs told her

"Well, why do I have to set the boundaries?"

"I'm freedom. We both can't be freedom."

* * *

"Hey, you want a sandwich?" Gibbs asked as he made a sandwich for himself

"Mm, no, thanks, dad, no carbs for me. I'm gonna be a model." Abby answered, hopping off the counter

"And I'm gonna be an astronaut. It's fun to just say things." Ziva remarked making her sandwich

"Ha ha ha ha. No, for your information, I am auditioning to be America's next hot teen model." Abby said sticking her tongue out

"And mom and dad are gonna let you do that?" Ziva asked knowingly with a smirk

"Well, they said they'd discuss it, and nobody told me no." Abby declared

"I know I didn't." Gibbs said taking a bite out of his sandwich

"So you think I have a shot?" Abby asked, sipping her water

"If it was meant to be, it was meant to be." Gibbs evaded

"Ha ha! See? Dad thinks I'm gonna win it." Abby celebrated

* * *

"So you're sure you know what you're doing?" Abby asked Kate for the umpteenth time as they prepared for their photo-shoot

"Hey, I was the photographer for my high school paper." Kate defended

"All right. So my strategy is to show five sides of my personality." Abby instructed," Ziva! Do you have my shot list?" she ordered

"Sexy. Super sexy. Tease. Vamp. Sexy from the side." Ziva recited moving on to wardrobe," I still think you should go with this sparkly top."

"No." Abby scoffed

"What about this red cape-y thing?" Ziva wondered

"No."

"You said I could handle the wardrobe." Ziva ranted

"No, I said you could hand me the wardrobe. Now less talky-talky, more hanging up the things I threw on the floor."

"Okay, Abby, you've got a lot of attitude for somebody who is one of 10,000 applicants to a modelling competition." Kate said accusingly with a raised eyebrow

"Whoa. Whoa. I cannot work in this judgy environment, okay? I have a dream. You two can either be near it or not."

"Not." Kate replied walking out

"You'll be sorry!"

"No, we won't." Ziva shouted over her shoulder

"Fine! I'll just do it myself! It's fine." Abby ranted

* * *

"You guys! My photo shoot went A-mazing. So as soon as Michael approves the photos, I'm gonna send them off with the rest of my application, - which, I might add, kind of rocks." Abby bounced around the living room her pigtails swinging.

"What application?" Jenny asked

"Can you believe you're going to be the mother of a top teen model?"

"What was that? You said you were gonna talk to her." Jenny swung around to face Gibbs

"Well, then I had a better idea to not talk to her." Gibbs tried

"How is that a better idea?" Jenny demanded of her husband

"Because if we don't let her audition, she's still gonna have this dream, but if we let the universe say "no," it'll crush this bad idea forever." Gibbs explained

"Oh, my God, Abby, you can't send these photos in." Kate yelled checking the camera

"Girls! What's all the yelling about?" Gibbs asked rushing to the kitchen

"Kate doesn't like my photos." Abby whined

"Yeah, well, you won't either." Kate told him pushing the camera towards him.

"What's the matter with them? Too backlit? Too blurry? Underexposed?" Gibbs asked

"Overexposed." Kate replied, giving him the camera

"What the heck are you thinking?" Gibbs thundered

"Dad, don't make this a big thing." Abby begged

"What are you thinking? Look at the- -" Gibbs said painfully

"Gibbs, hon- oh! Where is your top?" Jenny yelled

"I don't get it. Nobody likes the photo."

"I'd like it if you were wearing a turtleneck, not your hands." Gibbs told them

"You don't understand fashion." Abby cried

"I understand fashion has something to do with wearing clothes, but you aren't wearing any!" Gibbs declared vehemently

"You can't see anything! You can see under-boob." Abby defended

"Oh, lord, strike me blind." Gibbs begged

"What-what is the big deal? I've seen the girls on your classic car calendar. Sometimes they don't even have cars! " Abby asked

"That has nothing to do with this! Those aren't my daughters!"Gibbs yelled again

"Abby Abby, this is a big deal." Jenny explained," What if somebody saw those?"

"Listen, you're young and you're naive, and this may seem like something harmless to you, but once these pictures get out, you can't get 'em back. This could haunt you the rest of your life. Let's say you ran for political office." Gibbs delivered

"Gibbs, just-no." Jenny cut off

"Forget that." Gibbs decided

"Listen, I'm gonna take the memory card and get rid of these." Jenny insisted

"Fine, go ahead. I'll just have Michael text them back to me." Abby said flippantly

"Michael has seen these? –" Gibbs started close to a heart attack

"Probably not yet. He has a trombone lesson till 8:00." Abby told her

"So there's a chance he hasn't shared them with 4,000 of his closest friends? " Jenny demanded

"Mom, Michael wouldn't do that." Abby defended

"No, no.'Cause he's a 17-year-old boy, - and they are notoriously trustworthy." Jenny said sarcastically

* * *

"Hey, hi there." Gibbs greeted," Is Michael home?"

"Who are you?"

"Gibbs."

"Abby's dad! Hi! I'm Kim."

"Oh, I am so happy to meet you."

"Well, good."

"I've been trying to get our families together for a meal for so long."

"Well, we're busy, and we have a lot of food allergies. Anyway, um, is Michael home?" Gibbs tried not to dig his own grave

"He's in his trombone intensive. Can I help you? "

"Well, this is just going to be a little awkward. Look, it turns out that Abby may have sent him some provocative pictures on his cell phone." Gibbs tried

"Pornography?'

"Well, I wouldn't say pornography. It's more of a, uh If you were to shoot, um Um, oh, God help me, uh, under-boob. If I could just see his phone, I can delete them, and I'd be out of here."

"It's-it's right here. Ugh! I can't believe this."

"Oh, thank you so much."

"I never should have let Michael see Abby. The apple doesn't fall far from the big sister."

"What's the heck that supposed to mean?" Gibbs flared

"I'll tell you one thing your daughters aren't allergic to- loose morals."

"Do we have a lot of nerve, Kim?"

"I've got a lot of nerve? You're the one standing in my living room holding my son's cell phone, which is now jam-packed full of pornography. It's just so dirty."

"Yes, it-it does appear to be dirty. Let's-let's give it a little bath." Gibbs agreed tossing it in a glass of water

"You've ruined his phone."

"Yes, I guess I'm sorry about that." Gibbs replied leaving before he did something he might be thrown into jail for, federal agent and all,"

* * *

"I still can't believe all those horrible things Michael's mother said about my daughters. Oh, she is lucky I wasn't there." Jenny muttered

"Wow. Well, there's nothing you would have done that I didn't do." Gibbs boasted

"I would have slapped her."

"It's probably a good thing you didn't go over there." Gibbs agreed

"Well, thanks for nothing, dad. Now I'm not gonna be America's next hot teen model. I'm disappointed in all of you! In no particular order- dad, mom, and Kate!"

"Wait, what did I do?" Kate yelled chasing Abby up the stairs

"So no more good cop/bad cop?" Jenny asked snuggling into his side

"Just two old cops walking the beat, too old to care about anything except eating doughnuts, drinking coffee, waiting for our pension. Except I'm still a federal agent,"

"Mm."

"Sounds good to me."

"Hey, uh You wanna do it?" Gibbs asked suddenly

"You mean go get doughnuts? Yeah." Jenny agreed

"I was actually thinking of… Doughnuts would be good."

"Yeah! Let's."

**2 February 2014**


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, let's go, we're gonna be late!" Gibbs yelled up the stairs

"Why do we even have to go to church?" Jenny enquired scrambling around looking for he coat and purse

"I can't find my church purse anywhere." Abby interrupted coming down the stairs

"What the," Gibbs began startled at her attire

"Or the bottom half of that dress." Ziva said pointing

"At least I'm not dressed like a sister wife." Abby retorted

"Well, at least my dress didn't come with a stripper pole."

"Hey, it's Christmas. Deck the halls, not each other." Gibbs admonished

"Okay, I just have to get my purse." Abby moved toward the stairs

"No, no, d-d-don't go back up." Gibbs pleaded muttering afterwards," You know, trying to get you guys to go to church is like herding cats."

"Honey, honey, honey, why don't we just not go?"

"Honey, honey, if everyone who didn't want to go to church didn't go to church, it would just be two old women in the front row, shushing empty pews."

"I found it." Abby screamed triumphiantly

"Clashes with your shoes." Ziva stated

"No, no, no." Gibbs begged

"I know what you're doing. You're just trying to psych me out." Abby said aloud

"Am I? " Ziva questioned, dead serious

"Damn it. Dad, give me two seconds." Abby cried moving upstairs

"It's hopeless. It's hopeless." Gibbs stated

"Turn around, Abby. Come on, down the stairs, down the stairs. All right, everybody. Time for church." Kate herded everyone back down the stairs, Eric in her arms.

* * *

"Mom. Stan's here." Ziva whispered

"Oh, my God. Gibbs." Jenny elbowed him

"Oh, God." Gibbs blurted a little too loudly

"Honey, what do you think he's doing here?" Jenny wondered

"What do you say I drag him out by his pretty hair and ask him?" Gibbs decided

"Look, I wasn't expecting this either, but it's Christmas- happiness, good feelings, nuts roasting over an open fire." Jenny pacified but Gibbs suddenly got this crazy maniacal look on his face and Jenny realised what she implied when she said 'nuts' roasting over an open fire.

"Kate, what was Stan doing at church?" Jenny wanted to know the second they walked through the door.

"Stan's back in town, and he reached out to me, so we've seen him a couple times. He wants to be a part of Eric's life." Kate replied

"Oh, well, honey, if that's what you want, then-then you have our full support." Jenny said

"You have your mother's full support. I'm still in that "what, are you freaking kidding me?"" Gibbs cleared up

"Look, I know what it's like to have an awesome dad, and-and even if it's a long shot, I want Eric to have a chance at that, too."

"First off, thank you very much. Second off, I know exactly what you're doing. You're complimenting me so you'll get your way. I invented this move."

"Dad, I know you hate Stan, but he's different now. He's more mature and he's even been supporting himself."

"Oh, yeah? Doing what?"

"Doesn't matter."

"He's a drug dealer, right?"

"He was recently a jouster at the Renaissance Faire."

"So he actually lowered the bar."

* * *

NCIS was having a Christmas gathering and Mike was nominated to be Santa, not the best of choices. Gibbs was a little shocked when he actually found Mike in the Santa suit.

"You want to wear the Santa suit?" Mike asked suddenly, his eyes begging

"Me in a Santa suit? I don't think so." Gibbs replied with a smirk

"Hey, dad." Abby yelled coming out," What do you think? Huh?"

"Well, baby, I think you are adorable." Gibbs replied smiling

"Ugh. That's what I was afraid of. It is really hard to look sexy in green felt." Abby said twirling in her elf costume.

"Then you've never seen miss Sandy Duncan in "Peter Pan." Mike suggested

"Listen, your job here is to spread holiday cheer and help out and also get kids to sit in angry Santa's lap here." Gibbs told her

"But only after they've voided their bladders- also your responsibility." Mike cut in

"All right, . I'll do my best." Abby replied with a mock salute

"Hey, Agent Gibbs. I just want to warn you about Stan." Pacci replied, moving over to Gibbs

"Oh, I know he's back, " Gibbs started to explain it

"Can you give me a sec? I was gonna tell you. Stan's coming up to see you." Pacci finished as Gibbs entered the elevator, directing the agent escorting Stan out.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you." Gibbs growled

"Because I came to have a man-to-man talk with you, and that won't work if I'm screaming." Stan said," Look, I want to be in Eric's life. I want to see him for Christmas."

Gibbs glared and Stan rushed to explain

"Look, I know I screwed up, but I'm his dad, and I'm back."

"You left my daughter and your son." Gibbs emphasised

"I know. I was working. I had a lot of jobs. I was a singing waiter on a cruise ship, and now I'm the senior knight at the Ren Faire. And a couple months ago, I was sitting there at the head of the round table" Stan explained

"Hey, whoa, walk me through that. Head of a round table- how does that work?" Gibbs asked

"And I realized I'm at the top of my game in every way but one- being a dad."

"Wow, that's a-that's a good smile you got there. Bet that really works on the girls, doesn't it? Well, you know Sounds like your acting career is-is really taking off." Gibbs began, his glare intensifying

"Thank you." Stan smiled

"But the-the role of Eric's, uh, father should have been cast two and a half years ago." Gibbs finished, strolling out of the elevator when it stopped.

"Next." He heard Abby called as he walked around the corner to find a line of kids.

"Well, well, well. Aren't you adorable? What's your name? " Mike asked

"Jack." Agent Bytes son said

"I was talking to your mother." Mike replied and Gibbs laughed

"Okay, all right, okay, here we go. Up on Santa's lap." Abby lifted Jack on Santa's lap and waited for the picture to be clicked.

"Good job. Next!" Abby called

"No, no, actually, Santa's gonna warm himself up with a little Irish coffee." Mike replied standing up and after ten minutes Abby went to find him

"Well, we got to get back out." Abby said when she found Mike in the break room, "There are lots of kids waiting, hundreds of kids."

"Oh, no. I'm exhausted. I can't go through this anymore." Mike groaned

"And their moms." Abby put in

"Let's go." Mike jumped

* * *

"Well, thanks a lot, dad. I heard Stan came by your work to apologize, and you were mean to him?" Kate asked

"Mean to him? What's he, 6? I wasn't mean. I was clear with him. And listen, I work with guns, and he left with the same amount of holes he walked in there with. " Gibbs replied

"Look, he's trying to apologize, and he wants to see Eric for Christmas. You can't hold a grudge forever." Kate tried

"Oh, yeah, I can." Gibbs stated

"Dad, I was sort of thinking, you know, you make everyone go to church every week and listen to sermons about forgiveness." Ziva put in, "So maybe you should just forgive Stan."

"Well, Eric's crashed out." Jenny smiled, walking in

"Dad, why would you let him have an enormous chocolate reindeer an hour before dinner?"

"In my defense, I thought that thing was hollow."

"Michael's here. He brought a plant."

"Hey, Mrs. Gibbs. This is for you."

"Oh, thank you, Michael. That is very thoughtful and special." Jenny replied placing the plants with all the rest that Michael had given.

"Abby's gonna say grace." Jenny called

"Dear lord, we are all so thankful to be gathered here on this special day. And we're also thankful for the longer holiday hours at the mall For diet soda, and for my beautiful skin and for making me so popular." Abby said

"Okay, all right, all right, all right, all right- - Amen. That was right from the heart." Gibbs muttered

The doorbell rang and Jenny went to go answer it, "What, uh, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to drop off this Christmas gift for Eric." Stan said handing her a fire truck with a huge bow.

"Who's at the door?" Gibbs yelled

"I'm gonna ask you something, and, uh, it-it- if it seems sarcastic, it's not meant to be, but, uh, do you have a death wish?" Jenny whispered

"It's Christmas. I'm sure Gibbs will be cool with me being here." Stan said confidently

"Hey, honey, where's my carving knife?" Gibbs wanted to know again.

"Uh, I I-I-I don't know, sweetheart. H-hang on. Uh, this might be a good time to do what you do best - flee."

* * *

"Hey, Kate. What up? " Stan called

"Honey? The knife was out by the sharpener." Gibbs said coming in, knife in hand

"Yeah, I I'm gonna go get the first aid Kit." Abby scurried to go fetch it

"Listen what the hell? You show up at my place of worship, then my job, now my house. What next? Trunk of my car? Might not be a bad idea." Gibbs ranted

"I'm starting to feel uncomfortable." Stan stated

"This from the guy who spends half the year in a codpiece. " Ziva put in from her place

"Codpiece. That's funny. How do you know about codpieces?" Gibbs started to smile before turning to stare at Ziva.

"Look, you have no reason to believe I'll do the right thing, and if you tell me to leave now, you won't ever see me again, but I'm just asking for a little compassion And maybe a little forgiveness." Stan pleaded

"Hey, dad, remember the Christmas truce story?" Kate put in

"What about it? " Gibbs asked irritably

But one Christmas, these hated enemies decided to, uh, exchange gifts, stop shooting each other. And, um, and they called it a A Christmas truce." Kate told him, "So, dad Can he stay for dinner?"

"So I g- I guess he can, yeah." Gibbs muttered," Remember, the truce only lasted 24 hours. Then they went back to bayoneting each other."

"So where's Eric?" Stan asked sitting down.

"My dad gave him a chocolate reindeer, and he crashed out." Kate told him

"Yeah, Gibbs, I'd really rather he didn't have sugar." Stan said

"All right, you gotta go." Gibbs said annoyed

"Gibbs." Jenn said warningly

"No, all right, all right, I just-sit back down."

"Hey, here we are. Hello, everybody." Mike called

Hey, Mr. Claus, sit down, Join us." Gibbs told him with a smirk and after delivering a head slap Mike did so.

**25 December 2014**


	6. Chapter 6

It was a hectic day with lots of customers for a diner but since this afternoon it had calmed down a bit. I was kinda hoping no other customers came in but my hopes were dashed with I heard the bell ring. The second I lay eyes on my customer I felt like I was stuck in a movie.

He wore an eye-catching white dress shirt and black pants, he must be an operator, and his brown gelled hair and light skin made his greenish yellow eyes stand out even more.

I am almost trying to avoid my eyes looking at him inch by inch, but his hotness drew my attention completely

I served him on autopilot and he never left my mind; at dinner I thought of him, in bed I thought of him and even in my dreams he was there.

* * *

The next morning I opened my eyes to find Eric jumping on my bed.

"Eric, come on, we gotta give this to Granpa," Mom whispered

I sat up carefully and held my lil rascal," Why do you have to go to Dad?"

"Your father wants his go bag," Mom said flippantly standing there in her gown

"I could go," I suggested

"Thanks Katie," Mom said taking Eric with her, whispering about the joy of chocolate cereals and cartoons.

I rubbed my eyes and got dressed before deciding that I really wanted a donut. I grabbed the bag and decided I could pick one up.

* * *

I stepped out of the elevator with a cup of coffee for Dad and his bag in my other hand.

"Hey Dad," I called as I neared his desk, dropping the bag on the side of his desk and the coffee on his desk. He smiled lifting the coffee but didn't say anything as he was interrupted by Mike:

"Hey Probie, the kid is interning, take care of this,"

I spun to see the guy in question and saw my knight in shining no what the heck; I haven't even spoken to the guy! But he is so sexy…..

"Hey you, I need coffee," Mike yelled and I knew this trick so I walked to the elevator delaying to make sure he hopped onto the elevator with me.

"What's your name?" I asked

"Daniel," he answered with a smile

"I can show you a good coffee shop for Mike's coffee," I offered

"Thanks, you're Agent Gibbs daughter, Kate?"

"Nope I go around calling agents Dad,"

"You always so sassy,"

"Only on days of the week ending in day,"

He laughed, his eyes sparkling," I'd like to take you for coffee sometime,"

"I'm good with that but are you sure?"

"Actually I am sure. Your dad is already gonna ride me hard rather date his daughter while I am at it,"

I laughed as the elevator reached the ground floor and we walked to the coffee shop.

"Mike likes his coffee black," I mentioned

"I figured,"

"So we on?" Daniel asked with a glint in his eyes

"We can do dinner tonight," I suggested

"I'll pick you up at 7," He said rushing off with the coffee

* * *

"Hey Mom, will you watch Eric tonight?" I asked the second I walked into the kitchen at 18:45

"Sure honey, whatcha doing?"

"I'm going on a date,"

"A date?" Dad asked walking in, "I'm guessing with Daniel,"

"How do you know?" I demanded

"I'm a seasoned investigator, I read people for a living and he's sitting in the car out front," Dad smiled," It's great I don't havta threaten him,"

I glared at him but finally the doorbell rang and I hurried before one of my sisters could answer it. I heard Ziva throw the door open and groaned.

"Hey dude," Ziva greeted

"Hey, I'm here for Kate," I heard Daniel say

"Aha, you do know she has a kid," Ziva enquired

"Uh," Daniel stammered and I pushed Ziva out of the way shutting the door and pulling Daniel away.

"You're a single mom?"

"Yes, I didn't want to tell you,"

"Look, it doesn't change anything but maybe we can skip dinner," he started

"I get it," I cut him off, disappointed, somehow I hoped this ended differently. I started to walk away but Daniel grabbed my arm, turning me around to face him

"Lemme finish, we could skip dinner and maybe go for ice cream. I intend on being around for some time. But if you want to go for dinner we could."

I was shocked and with no thinking I grabbed his collar and kissed him, passionately then took him in to meet my son and order takeout.

Later when he left I realised though not fancy it was the best date ever. Eric loved him and my Dad didn't feel he needed to prove something so maybe this would work out.


	7. Chapter 7

**I know that I promised updates but it was an exciting week but without farther waiting:**

"Daniel, good to see you," Jenny said as Daniel walked in

"Nice to see you too, Mrs Gibbs," Daniel greeted

"It is Jenny,"

"Uhm, okay, so where is Kate?" Daniel asked

"Behind you," Kate whispered in his ear

Daniel jumped a little and turned around.

"Hey buddy," Daniel said, ruffling Eric's hair

"I is three!" Eric yelled excitedly

Daniel threw a confused glance at Kate. He was certain Kate said Eric was two.

"His birthday is in a week," Kate mentioned with a kiss to Daniel's cheek

"What do you want?" Daniel asked the excited toddler

"I wanna a big fish," Eric gushed, holding his arms wide to indicate the size of the fish

"How about a shark?" Daniel asked

"Is it big and scary?" Eric asked his blue eyes wide

"It sure is but if you want big and scary, I could just wrap Grandpa," Daniel joked before freezing

"Is that so?" Gibbs asked from behind

Daniel winced and made a lame attempt to tame the beast," In a good way,"

Gibbs smirked and obliged with the regular head slap.

"Mike and I are going fishing," Gibbs said as he grabbed a cup of coffee

"Danny and I are going on a date," Kate announced

"How about I take Eric with me?" Gibbs asked, taking Eric from Daniel

"That is fine, honey," Jenny answered

* * *

Gibbs shifted under Eric's weight and grimaced. It was 23:00 and Kate was probably going to murder him. He unlocked the door quietly and entered. He gently closed the door and was stealthily moving to the stairs when he caught movement on the couch.

He walked over, years of marine training kicking in but all he saw was Kate. Then he stood in horror as Kate and Daniel made out, tongue and all.

"What the HELL?!" Gibbs yelled finally and Kate and Daniel jumped apart.

"Uh, Dad," Kate stammered

"I'll be going," Daniel whispered to Kate and bolted

Gibbs stormed up the stairs, Kate following and barged into the bedroom where Jenny was reading.

"Do you know what she was doing!" Gibbs thundered

Jenny sat upright and took her grandson from her husband before calmly asking them to continue

"I walk through the door and find her and Daniel getting comfy on the couch!" Gibbs said stricken by recent events

"Aha," Jenny said, understanding his concern

"Mom, brace yourself! This is going to blow your mind! We were kissing," Kate stated

"That is great. He really likes you," Jenny excitedly told her daughter before turning to her husband," And you are upset. Isn't he sweet?"

"No! He is creepy! He came slithering through the door like he was entering a hideout!" Kate said with vivid hand movements

"Katie, why don't you go to bed? I'll have a word with him," Jenny said

Kate stormed out and Gibbs turned to Jenny in disbelief," Don't you care about what your daughter does in our house, on our furniture!?"

"Jethro, it was a kiss," Jenny stated

"But she is my," Gibbs sputtered

"You do know that she is not a virgin?" Jenny asked, pointing to the sleeping boy

"Who knows?! She could have caught something in a public swimming pool!" Gibbs decided

Jenny glared at her husband and Gibbs held his hands up in surrender.

"You should be happy! Daniel like Kate and Eric loves him," Jenny said," Kate needs a guy and Eric needs a dad,"

"Okay, so Kate can go out with Daniel but no more kissing!" Gibbs stated

Jenny laughed," You have three daughters so don't bet on it,"

Gibbs huffed but changed the topic," What are we doing for Eric's birthday?"

"Something small and simple," Jenny answered

"But I get him a gift of my choice," Gibbs proposed

"Okay," Jenny agreed but knew that he would go overboard.

Gibbs hopped under the covers after stripping to his undershirt and boxers.

"What about Eric?" Jenny asked

"Leave him here," Gibbs retorted, cuddling up to the two year old

Jenny turned off the light and felt two arms touch her waist.

**14 June 2015**


	8. Chapter 8

The day before Eric's birthday was a lot of chaos. Ziva and Abby had gone to the mall in search of a birthday present for Eric and Gibbs had taken Eric out to the park.

Jenny was baking a cake; her darling grandson had been very specific when he said he wanted a ship cake with a shark.

Now as the shark, a simple fin would do but the boat was incredibly difficult to carve. Kate was preparing food and pitched in once in a while.

After the cake collapsed because she cut too much cake off the bottom, Jenny hung up her apron. She simply baked another cake and left the knives out.

When Gibbs returned, she ordered him to the kitchen and instructed him to build a boat. Gibbs looked bewildered and even amused but obeyed anyway.

After about three hours, Jenny entered the kitchen and found one smug looking husband and a rather intricate looking ship.

"How in the heck?!" Jenny demanded instantly

"Not much different than wood, better actually, you can mould it," Gibbs said with a shrug.

The day of the birthday started at 05:00 since Eric was up and jumping about. He had awoken his mother and grandparents by jumping on the beds and Ziva and Abby by his hollering.

"Your father will be here soon," Jenny said as ten o clock rolled around

"If I time it right, we'll never have to say a word to each other." Gibbs planned

"Well, might as well get this party started." Abby said, reaching for the wine

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Jenny asked

"Mom, I need to take the edge off." Abby whined

"As if anyone's ever accused you of being sharp." Ziva teased

"You know the rule in this house." Jenny chided

"Mom, don't worry. I'll leave you some." Abby assured her

"All right, you know what? Maybe one glass with dinner." Jenny offered as the doorbell rang

"Randy, what do you mean you're not coming?! So what if your grandmother's missing? She'll turn up." Abby said as she walked down the stairs, talking to her new boyfriend

"Hey, grandpa Jack." Kate said as she opened the door

"Kate! Hi! Oh, wow. Look at you. You're like an entirely different person." Jack complimented

"Grandpa!" Eric yelled

"Hey! Look at you! What a great, big guy." Jack said lifting the boy into the air before putting him down again

"Actually, uh, he is your great-grandpa, sweetie." Kate told Eric

"That's right. You got a good grandpa and a great grandpa." Jack teased

"Dad" Gibbs greeted

"Son."

"Um How how was the, uh, car ride?" Gibbs asked

"Same as always." Jack answered

"Well, this conversation ran out of steam quick, didn't it? I'll get you a beer." Gibbs said finally

"Uh, oh, hang on. I haven't said hello to your beautiful bride." Jack said, moving toward Jenny

"Jack! Hi! How are you?" Jenny asked hugging him

"And to my granddaughters." Jack said pulling in Abby and Ziva for a hug

"Oh, I hope that's either Randy or his grandma." Abby said as she bolted to the door when the doorbell rang

"Oh, it's just you." Abby stated when she found Mike at the door

"All right, I'm getting a mixed message here. The mat says welcome." Mike stated, walking in with a gift wrapped present.

"Who are you?" Jack asked a man standing outside

"I am Stan,"

"Didn't you run out on Kate?" Jack demanded, "I promised myself that if I ever saw you, I'd kill you."

"Well, you don't have to. I am leaving the country permanently." Stan said, "Please tell Kate,"

"I'll see how it goes." Jack said

"Come on! Time for cake," Jenny yelled just as Daniel flew through the door

Everyone sang 'happy birthday' and Eric blew out the candles. Gibbs lifted a piece of cake and let Eric eat it.

"Presents!" Eric yelled as Kate caught him around the waist

"Cake first," Jenny said

"NO! Want presents," Eric said with a shake of his head

"Hey bud, hold on a little," Gibbs said, feeding him a little more cake

Once everyone had eaten cake, Eric dragged everyone to the sitting room for presents.

Ziva and Abby got him an Under the Sea Activity book and a set of Disney cartoons. Kate got him a truck and Jenny got him a radio controlled cars. Gibbs got him an Early Builder set and Daniel built suspense before revealing his gifts.

He handed Eric a stuffed shark that was about 60cm long and easy for him to carry it around. Then he went out to his car and brought in a stuffed shark that was 26'' long and was almost like a bean bag for the young Eric.

"A big scary shark!" Eric yelled throwing his arms around Daniel who simply basked in Eric's appreciation.

"I love you!" Eric shouted

"I am pretty fond of you too," Daniel said and hugged the boy before tossing him onto the shark.

20/21 June 2015


	9. Chapter 9

**Saturday Morning**

"Tough date?" Pacci asked as Daniel entered the office with a bandage on his head and a cut lip.

"Nah, shutting up some loud mouths," Daniel retorted

"Gibbs and Franks are gonna be pissed, NCIS will be held responsible," Pacci whistled

"Gibbs knows as of 02:00 hours this morning," Daniel muttered," The cop knew Gibbs,"

"I'll say a few words at your funeral," Pacci commented as he stepped off the elevator

Daniel was stepping off too when Gibbs pushed him back and stepped in himself. He waited before hitting the emergency stop switch and turned to face Daniel.

"I have convinced Franks to let me handle this one," Gibbs started

"Thanks, I think,"

"How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked, circling him

"Good sir," Daniel responded, nervousness setting in

"Aren't you going to ask me how I am feeling?" Gibbs said in that calm, cold voice

"H-how are you feeling?" Daniel asked

"Very tired," Gibbs whispered, invading his personal space

Gibbs hit the switch and the elevator jerked as it began its descent.

Daniel stared at Gibbs and Gibbs spoke," Go home and be back here in two days for your sentence,"

"Please punish me now," Daniel begged

"I am," Gibbs finished

* * *

**Saturday Afternoon**

At home Gibbs was going through some boxes from his den. He had covered the dining room table with all sorts of artefacts as he cleaned and displayed them.

"What is all this junk?" Kate asked when she came home from work

"Years of memories," Gibbs replied

"Cool pin, Grandpa," Eric said as he opened one of the boxes

Gibbs took it from his hand and began explaining to the young boy," It is not a pin, Eric. It is a medal. My grandpa got it for being brave. My dad gave it to me."

"Wow!" Ziva exclaimed, lifting one of the helmets

"Eric, don't ever touch it, okay?"

"I won't touch it Grandpa, I promise," Eric said solemnly

"Now why don't you go watch cartoons," Kate said, steering the young boy out of the room

* * *

"Kate! We are going to be late!" Abby yelled from the front door where she was waiting for her sisters and Eric so that they could go to the movies

"I'm coming!" Kate said hurrying down the stairs

"Hey, those are mom's shoes," Ziva said

"What mom doesn't know won't hurt her," Kate replied

"Come on, Eric,"

"I coming," Eric yelled, before stopping. He walked over to the table and removed the medal from its box. He pinned it to his shirt and threw his coat in top.

"What Grandpa doesn't know won't hurt him,"

He ran to the car where everyone was waiting

"Remember: No touching my stuff," Gibbs said as he walked out, bat in hand for some batting practice

"We are not going to be here," Kate replied with a grin

* * *

Eric constantly chattered throughout the movie and the very few people that were there did not mind. Kate was glad that the movie theatre was nearly empty.

Halfway through the movie, Eric put his hand on his chest and let out and ear splitting yell.

"Eric! What's wrong?!" Kate asked, frustrated by his behaviour

"The medal!" He said

"What medal?" Ziva asked, still trying to watch

"Grandpa's medal! I borrowed it and now I lost it," Eric said, his blue eyes welling with tears.

Kate, Ziva and Abby began tearing apart the movie theater and were still unable to find the medal

* * *

"Sit!" Jenny commanded as they all walked through the door

"I am going to ground you all! And no TV!" Jenny raged

"It's Eric's fault!" Ziva said

"It is?" Jenny asked since all she knew was that the medal was lost.

"Eric! Where is he?" Kate asked, looking around

"I don't know," Abby shrugged

"I'm home!" Gibbs yelled, startled to find Kate, Abby and Ziva dashing upstairs

"I wanted you to know that no one is more upset about this than I am." Jenny started, pacing around

"Jen, calm down. It can't be that bad," Gibbs said, putting an arm around her shoulders

Jenny just nodded before removing the bat from his hand. Gibbs was now very confused.

"Sit down," Jenny said

Gibbs sat down and listened

"I went there when they called and I assure you we turned that place upside down." Jenny confirmed," The theatre, bathroom, sidewalk. Can you think of anywhere else?"

"Not without knowing whatcha talking about," Gibbs remarked

"Well," Jenny sat down next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder," Eric lost your medal,"

Gibbs laughed and when Jenny didn't laugh he turned grim. Standing up he made his way to the table and opened the leather case, only to find it empty.

"Get down here!" Gibbs hollered

On cue, Ziva, Abby, Kate and Eric came downstairs. They had found Eric cuddled up with his shark under the bed.

"I made it quite clear that no one should touch my medal yet one of you did. Not only that, you lost it too. Would the perpetrator step forward?"

"Ah dad, the perpetrator does not know what perpetrator means," Kate said, with a shake of her head

Gibbs finally calmed down when he realized he had to talk to his three year old grandson.

"I took your medal," Eric said, coming to stand in front of his grandfather

"Go," Gibbs said to Ziva and Abby and Jenny took Kate to the kitchen

"You have anything to say?" Gibbs asked as he knelt in front of Eric

Eric nodded," Are you gonna shoot me?"

"Nope, but I am gonna punish you," Gibbs said

"Jethro, can we see you for a moment," Jenny asked from the kitchen

"You stay here," Gibbs instructed as he walked to the kitchen

"We already decided on punishment, no TV?" Jenny prompted

"Jen, he is three, no TV means he can run around, play with cars and build forts," Gibbs said

"So what did you have in mind, dad," Kate asked

"I am gonna spank him,"

"Isn't that a little bit too harsh?" Jenny asked

"No," Gibbs said as if it were obvious

"Dad, what if," Kate started but Gibbs put a hand on her shoulder

"Katie, do you trust me?" Gibbs asked

"Yes, I do but I can't," Kate said

"Then don't, go for a walk with your mom, take the two with ya. We'll settle this," Gibbs said and Kate nodded before leaving

* * *

"Eric, come here," Gibbs beckoned sitting on the couch and lifting Eric next to him," Suppose I took Chomper. You really like him,"

Gibbs paused as Eric nodded," I love Chomper,"

"I take him to work," Gibbs proposed

"To NCIS?" Eric questioned

"Yeah, and he gets shot,"

"By who," Eric asked

"A bad guy," Gibbs answered

"Where is Chomper?" Eric wanted to know

"In my hand," Gibbs said finally," How would you feel?"

"I would be a little bit sad but very happy!" Eric exclaimed

"Happy?" Gibbs echoed in disbelief, how was he supposed to get a point across," Why happy?"

"Cause if the bullet hit Chomper while you were holding him, it would mean that the bad guy missed you. Is better for Chomper to be shot than you cause I love you more,"

Gibbs looked torn. He had to punish the kid but Eric made it so damn hard!

"Grandpa, I'm sorry," Eric said, tears falling again

"It's okay, kid," Gibbs said finally, pulling the kid into a hug.

"Are you gonna pumish me?" Eric asked

"Punish, kid, and you have to help me clean the garden," Gibbs said finally

"Yuck!" Eric said scrunching up his nose

"Go on, go fetch your toys and I'll play with you," Gibbs said ruffling his hair one last time

"Did you do it?!" Jenny asked coming in

"I was ready to do it, I believed in doing it but I couldn't do it," Gibbs said with a sigh.

"So you let him off the hook?" Kate asked incredulously

"Nah, he's cleaning the garden with me tomorrow," Gibbs said as Eric came running in

Kate, Ziva and Abby went upstairs, happily chatting now that the air was cleared

"Why did you take my medal, champ?" Gibbs asked

"Cos Mommy took Grandma's shoes and said that if Grandma didn't know, no one would get hurt," Eric said as he dumped his toy cars around Gibbs

"I am going to kill her," Jenny said, running up the stairs

* * *

**Monday Morning**

"So, you have enough time to ponder your little fist fight," Gibbs asked as Daniel stood in front of his desk

"Yes sir!" Daniel responded

"But, I called my cop buddy and guess what I heard?"

"What sir?"

"The guys you beat up were not only dissing the Marine Corp but Kate as well," Gibbs started looking up to gauge Daniel's reaction," And when you stated your views, they came at you forcing you to defend yourself. Is this correct?"

"Yeah," Daniel sighed

"So, after Morrow heard the proper story, he says you are off the hook," Gibbs said, standing and Daniel winced expecting a head slap but got a pat on the back instead

**27/28/29 June 2015**


	10. Chapter 10

"You don't see this much anymore-lady hobo." Gibbs suggested

"Maybe." Ziva nodded

"Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Lady ninja." Gibbs enthused

"Whatever you want, dad." Ziva said

"What do you mean, whatever i want? Come on. Aren't you into this anymore?" Gibbs asked

"Sure, I am." Ziva said, looking bored

"Be honest." Gibbs ordered

"Dad, I'm super-psyched to go trick-or-treating with you." Ziva said robotically

"Listen, I know that trick-or-treating is something you and I do together, but if you're over this, I am I'm okay with it."

"Really? I don't want to cause a medical problem." Ziva explained

"I'm really okay." Gibbs said

"I don't want to go trick-or-treating." Ziva said with a sigh, "Are you sure you're not mad?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I'm not mad." Gibbs said finally

* * *

"Arr! Shiver me timbers!" Jenny announced, walking in

"Oh, that outfit is so embarrassing." Ziva shuddered

"What's her problem?" Jenny asked Gibbs

"Well, maybe it's that we're used to seeing you more as a mom and less as a prostitute." Gibbs decided

"I'm a pirate princess." Jenny scoffed

"Yeah. Shouldn't your treasures be a little more buried?" Gibbs asked, with a smirk

"You know, I just thought I'd shake things up a little." Jenny said

"Well, you sure are, every time you move." Gibbs leered

"So, uh, you like it?" Jenny said twirling

"Well, would you be willing to wear that to our anniversary weekend at the cabin?" Gibbs asked with a grin

"Mm maybe." Jenny teased

"I like it." Gibbs smiled

"Dad, did you happen to pick up the kitty costume I reserved for Stella's party?" Abby yelled, hurrying down the stairs

"Oh, yeah. The fur-lined bikini with the cat ears?" Gibbs confirmed

"Yep. That's the one." Abby agreed

"Yeah, I saw it. That's why I got you this." Gibbs said pulling out a costume

"What is that?" Abby asked with a grimace

"This is Garfield, America's favorite cat." Gibbs announced grandly

"But that-that would cover my entire body." Abby shuddered

"That's right. Here. Take this." Gibbs said," Listen, Halloween is not an excuse for you to dress up like a tramp. Baby, you are better than that."

"No, I'm not." Abby exclaimed

"Honey, your father's right. That alley cat costume is totally inappropriate." Jenny scolded

"Honey, do your panties say "booty"?" Gibbs asked in shock

"Oh, gross. Dad just said panties." Abby muttered

"Hey, mom. Can you take Eric? 'Cause I'm late for my shift." Kate shouted, coming down the stairs, "So Eric's dinner is in the refrigerator, and his pyjamas are on his bed."

"And look at the costume I got him." Gibbs said with excitement

"No, no, no. Dad, Eric's not trick-or-treating. He's too young for all that pagan death imagery. Look, I don't want any of that sinking into Eric's head." Kate ranted

"Nothing's sinking in. He's 3. Mike tells that kid five times a day to pull his finger. He still has no idea where the noise is coming from." Gibbs gushed

"I'm sorry, dad. No trick-or-treating." Kate said, walking out before ordering Daniel who was coming up the driveway," Make sure he doesn't take Eric trick-or-treating."

"Your girlfriend says I can't trick-or-treat with Eric." Gibbs said pointedly

"I know." Daniel mentioned

"Can you talk to her?" Gibbs asked

"No way." Daniel finished

* * *

"You coming to my house tonight to trick-or-treat?" Mike asked over the phone

"With who? Ziva doesn't want to trick-or-treat anymore, and grandpa's not allowed to take Eric out." Gibbs said sadly

"Wait a minute. Halloween builds character. Any 3-year-old who can walk up to a man with a chain saw and demand candy can do anything. Eric should be allowed to experience Halloween now, while his brain is still soft." Mike said with conviction

"Exactly." Gibbs agreed putting the phone down

"At ease, everyone." Gibbs said, coming down the stairs

"Who am I?"

"Um, John Wayne-Longest Day." Jenny suggested

"No."

"John Wayne- Sands of Iwo Jima." Jenny continued

"Nope."

"John Wayne-Green Berets." Jenny finished

"Bingo."

"With his trusty sidekick Senor Bones," Gibbs said swinging around Eric

"Oh! Look how cute." Jenny gushed going to fetch more candy

"We won't trick-or-treat. We'll just walk around and look at the houses and decorations. You want to go with us?"

"Uh, dad, Kate told you not to." Ziva accused but Gibbs was already gone, Daniel following

"Listen, I don't want to crap all over your outfit, but that's not even anatomically close." Daniel teased as he jogged up next to Gibbs

"What are you supposed to be?" Gibbs asked, looking at him

"I am supposed to be a crazy scientist," Daniel said pointing to the white coat

"So Kate changed her mind, huh?" Mike yelled from his doorstep

"No, no, no." Daniel said with a shake of his head as they came closer

"I changed my mind about listening to her." Gibbs declared

"I mean, come on. You gotta blame Eric here. He looks so darn cute in the thing, doesn't he? Look at that." Daniel cooed

"Happy Halloween, Gibbs. And I'll see you tomorrow." Mike agreed

"I can't believe you took Eric trick-or-treating." Jenny yelled, the second Gibbs walked through the door

"Well, believe it." Gibbs suggested

"Kate is gonna kill you." Jenny exclaimed

"Oh, cut it out. She's not gonna find out about it." Gibbs pacified

"We had a great time, right, Eric?" Gibbs asked the boy beside him

"Uh Wait a minute. That's the Wong kid." Ziva put in

"I know it's the wong kid. Where's Eric?" Gibbs cried

"No, I mean, that's Jimmy Wong from down the street." Ziva cleared up

"I gotta go find Eric. Call the Wongs and the police and Mike," Gibbs said in a panic

"Hello? Oh, thank goodness. Wait. Gibbs! It's the Wongs. They have Eric. They're on their way over with Eric right now." Jenny said

"Hey, Abby." Ziva greeted

"Were you just trying to sneak by us?" Jenny asked with a raised eyebrow

"No." Abby said, moving to the stairs

"Really? 'Cause it seemed like you were slinkin' in." Gibbs stated

"I'm a cat, remember? So Good night." Abby said, hurrying up the stairs

"Get down here. Right now. Right here." Jenny ordered

"Where's the Garfield costume?" Gibbs asked staring at an Orange bikini with a few black stripes and a tail.

"Dad, this is Garfield. This is his tail, and these are his ears." Abby pointed

"I think I just heard Kate parking her car." Daniel said

"Everything's gonna be fine." Gibbs yelled

"Why are you telling me?" Daniel cried

"I'm practicing. Listen, I'm gonna just stall her until the Wongs get here with Eric." Gibbs said rushing to the door

"Hey, keep a low centre of gravity. She'll never get by you." Daniel offered

"Hi, dad."

"Hey, sweetie."

"Hey, where are you going?" Gibbs asked

"I'm gonna go check on Eric." Kate said, moving to the stairs

"Before you go, I'd like to know about your day, so catch me up." Gibbs said, trying to think of something

"Um, well, it sucked. You're all caught up." Kate said practically

"Uh Hold on, Kate. Let me tell you something. We ended up taking Eric trick-or-treating." Gibbs said, bringing Daniel into it to

"Uh, after I said not to? Ohh! I have never been so angry at you. Both of you!" Kate yelled

"Stick around." Daniel muttered

"I'm sorry. Who's this?" Kate demanded from her father and boyfriend

"Eric's on his way back here right now." Gibbs pacified

"Back from where? Because everybody that he knows is in this room." Kate exclaimed

"Eric's fine." Gibbs said finally

"He's with, uh, a family practice judge and a pediatrician." Daniel said

"He's safer with them than with us." Gibbs comforted

"Well, I think you've proven that." Kate shouted," Seriously, dad, what the hell?"

"I took your sister to get her costume, and she didn't want to get a costume, so I bought Eric something, and he looked really cute in that, and I wanted to show him off. And it just brought back memories of taking all you girls trick-or-treating, and I think I, uh, you know, got too excited with Eric." Gibbs rambled

"So did Eric have fun?" Kate asked tiredly

"Up-up until I lost him, yeah." Gibbs said

"Eric's first Halloween. I really wish I could have gone with him." Kate said sadly

"It's not that late. You're dressed as a waitress." Daniel put in

"Only if you come with us, though." Kate said pointing between herself and Daniel

"I'd love to." Gibbs whispered in her ear, hugging her

"You know what would make it perfect?" Jenny asked

"What?" Gibbs wanted to know

"If we actually had Eric!" Jenny exclaimed

**31 October 2015**


	11. Chapter 11

"Um, can you sign this? I'm transferring out of Art. Every little mistake I make, 's all up in my face." Ziva asked Jenny, "He's like a drill sergeant."

"Yeah." Jenny agreed

"So I'm switching to Junior ROTC." Ziva announced

"ROTC? Really? Playing at war is your idea of high school fun?" Kate said in disbelief

"Well, we know what your idea of high school fun was- it just ran upstairs to get toys." Gibbs said pointing

"Well, Dad, I was- I was thinking about what you always say about honouring the flag, and we get to shoot rifles and wear uniforms that really freak out people." Ziva cheered

* * *

"Junior ROTC. Gibbs, I don't want her to end up in the army." Jenny exclaimed

"Baby, she's 14. And legend has it that 14-year-olds change their minds now and then." Gibbs tried to comfort her

"Drill marches, field exercises, gun training-I hate it." Jenny said with a sigh

"Listen, we both agreed that whatever the girls want to do, we're gonna support them in their path, correct?" Gibbs confirmed

"Yeah, why do you only remember what I say when it benefits you?" Jenny asked with a glare

"She's not gonna join the army. And if she did, she'd have the skills. Thanks to me, she can shoot and survive. And thanks to you, she can tolerate bland food." Gibbs teased

"Oh, ha ha ha." Jenny laughed

* * *

"Oh, my God! I can't believe I never played this before! Ahh! Wow." Abby went on excitedly, " War is so much fun. Boom!"

"I am killing everything in guy got his head blown off the second we started playing." Ziva yelled

"Oh, man, that was me?" Abby asked," When do I get another guy?"

"Right now. Go. And you're dead again." Ziva sighed, stopping the game

"Hey, Mom, check it out. Look at my new ROTC uniform." Ziva said lifting it up

"Wow, it looks like a real soldier's uniform." Jenny said

"Isn't it awesome? So, uh, this is my dress uniform, and I'll be in camo when I'm in country as a sniper." Ziva explained

"Well, that's words - every little girl's mother longs to hear." Jenny said sarcastically

"But not just any sniper, Mom. I'm gonna be the first female sniper in the Marine Corps." Ziva said excitedly and at Jenny's look went on," Mom, I get it. You're worried. But it's-it's a long way off, and who knows? I might change my mind between now and then."

"That makes me feel better, honey." Jenny said with a hug.

"I might even want to be a SEAL." Ziva finished

* * *

"Let me get this straight. Ziva wants to be a jarhead? A Marine sniper?" Mike asked

"Yeah. And the way Jenny's reacting, you'd think the kid was in Kandahar taking shots at people right now." Gibbs mentioned

"You should be proud that the kid is following in your footsteps," Mike said casually

"Actually I am holding out hope she changes her mind. I know how I created those footsteps," Gibbs muttered

"Let her meet some Vets, see if she still wants to go on," Mike suggested and Gibbs agreed

"Mike's taking us to meet veterans," Gibbs said as soon as he walked in

"I'll go put on my uniform." Ziva said running up the stairs

"Hey, Mike. How you doing, man?" John asked

"Good. Meet Leroy Jethro Gibbs, former marine," Mike introduced

"Gibbs, how do you do?" John put his hand out

"Good." Gibbs replied returning the handshake

"His daughter Ziva." Mike said pointing

"Hi, Ziva." John greeted

"It's an honor to meet you, sir." Ziva said

"Hi I'm Jean. So, Junior ROTC, huh?"

"Yeah. Were you in the war?" Ziva asked as Gibbs and Mike got drinks

Jean nodded and Ziva continued," Well, what did you do there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I was an Armory Gunner on a convoy." Jean said, "Do you know what a SAW is?"

"Squad automatic weapon. Belt-fed, gas-operated machine gun." Ziva replied, "it's my weapon of choice in Call of Duty."

"Well, it was my weapon of choice protecting my convoys. 41 trips back and forth to the Green Zone, and everyone came home safe."

"Must have been intense." Ziva commented

"Not nearly as intense as trip 42." Jean replied stepping forward to reveal that both her legs had been blown off and prosthetics were in its place.

* * *

"You hungry? Got some pizza in the kitchen." Jenny said"How did it go?"

"Met a lot of veterans. Couple guys from World War II. And then we got this rambling Vietnam veteran. But you know Mike. Wouldn't shut up. And then an Armory Gunner from Iraq, a woman. She lost both her legs." Gibbs finished

"Oh, thank God." Jenny exclaimed," Uh - No, but that-that came out wrong. No, I was hoping that Ziva would meet some real vets and it would put her off of this whole sniper business."

"She was pretty quiet in the car on the way home." Gibbs offered

"Ziva, honey? Come here." Jenny beckoned

"The VFW was intense." Ziva said quietly

"Yeah." Gibbs agreed

"This Marine stuff isn't just some videogame. What I saw today was real." Ziva continued

"Maybe we can get you back into that art class, huh?" Jenny asked

"Forget that. Meeting that gunner today was really inspiring, so, Dad, can you take me target shooting this weekend? And, Mom, I'm gonna need some head-sized melons," Ziva enthused

"Everybody, pizza in the kitchen." Jenny shouted when she heard everyone coming in

"Hey, Ziva. Sit down. I want to talk to you for a minute." Gibbs said after Jenny left

"This isn't the sex talk, is it? 'Cause between Kristin, Mandy, and the Internet, I already know more than I'd like to." Ziva said with a smirk

Gibbs looked pained and vehemently denied it saying," If you did want to become the first female Marine Corps sniper, your mom and I would be very proud of you."

"I won't let you down, Dad." Ziva said, sitting down

"But if you also decide to be a doctor or teacher Or, what the heck, even a lawyer, we'd still be very, very proud of you." Gibbs said

"Thanks. But I'm a Gibbs. It's in my blood," Ziva grinned

**10 November 2015**


	12. Chapter 12

"Like this?" Eric asked loosening the lid on the salt shaker

"Yeah. It's gotta come off right when they pour it," Gibbs explained," And then what do you say?"

"Would you like some French fries with that salt?" Eric said and Gibbs nodded

"All right, sweetie, so what do you recommend?" Jenny asked Kate

"Eric likes the grilled cheese." Kate said

"All right, well, then two grilled cheeses, please." Jenny placed her order

"Yo, hash slinger. I'll take a ration of powdered eggs. No better way to get used to military food than this dump." Ziva announced, walking in

"Oh Hey, Ziva, we got you an iced tea. Want some sugar?" Eric asked

"Uh, nice try, small fry. But we were trained by the same prank master." Ziva replied, tightening the lid on the sugar

"Ah, the young. They have so much to learn." Gibbs said with a smile

"Uh, hey, Dad, I need some help with my Junior ROTC competition. We have to spin and twirl a rifle around, kind of like some girly cheerleader with a baton. And if I make sergeant, - it'll look really good on my college resume." Ziva said as she drank her iced tea

"Yeah, we'll work on it" Gibbs agreed

"Bam! That's what I'm talking about!" Gibbs yelled as the entire salt shaker was emptied onto Jenny's plate

"Very funny!"

"Would you like some French fries with that salt?" Eric said with a grin

"Oh, shh!" Jenny said with a swat to the back of his head

* * *

"Ten-hut! Port arms! Right shoulder arms! Order arms! Okay. There was only one little thing wrong with that." Gibbs yelled

"Really? What?" Ziva asked

"Everything, maggot! We're gonna do it again!"

" Oh, no."

"What did you say?! "

"I mean Yes, sir!"

"Are you a soldier or a little girl?!"

"Trying to be both, sir!" Ziva said curtly

"Well, you're doing a piss-poor job at one of them! Seriously, Ziva, let me know if I'm taking this too far." Gibbs said

"No, you're really motivating me. Lean harder on that "maggot" stuff." Ziva replied

"Okay, well, whatever you say." Gibbs said with a shrug

"Now - Present arms! - Ten-hut! Port arms! - Right shoulder - Wow. Gotta say, that was pretty impressive."

"Hey, buddy, will you go upstairs for a second? I need to talk to Grandma and Grandpa." Daniel said, motioning for Gibbs to come inside

"Danny, do you think you're gonna need to use the toilet?" Eric asked before scampering off

"Uh Eventually." Daniel replied

"Well, be up in, like, five minutes." Eric ordered

"Look, it's about Kate. Do you guys know she's talking about moving out? I want you guys to convince her to move in with me." Daniel blurted

"Well, wait a minute. Do you think she's really serious this time? I-I don't want Kate to move out. I-I'd really miss her and Eric." Jenny said

"Eric? Why does he have to go?" Gibbs asked with a pout

"Well, honey, she's not gonna forget to pack him. He's not a toothbrush." Jenny said with an eye roll

"Maybe we should find this Kate and see what she thinks." Kate said as she walked in

"I'm not moving in with you, Daniel. I-I'm sorry. I just- I can't go from living under one man's roof to living under another man's roof. Well, I found actually a really nice 2-bedroom apartment." Kate announced

"You can't afford that on your diner salary." Daniel said, confusion present

"Yeah, that's right. That's why I quit, and I got a new job." Kate said," Waitressing at a better restaurant,"

* * *

"I, uh, changed my mind about this. I've decided that you are welcome to come live with Eric and me if you would like." Kate offered Daniel when they were alone

"I'm confused. I thought you wanted to be out on your own."

"There's a big difference between moving into someone else's place and someone moving into mine." Kate said, kissing his cheek

"Is this still gonna be my room?" Eric asked Gibbs as they packed up the last of his stuff

"Yes, it's still gonna be your room." Gibbs answered," Hey, buddy, are you okay with this move?"

"I think so."

"It's okay to be sad, you know." Gibbs said, kneeling to face the three year old

"I know. I am really sad that I'm not gonna get to see you every day." Eric said with frown

"But listen, listen. It's gonna be even more special when you do get to spend time together, because we can just have prank day. This is an old-school- Grab that pail. Get a little bit of water in the bucket." Gibbs directed as he placed the pail on the door

"I know the drill. Oh, Danny? Can you come up here?" Eric shouted

"Be up in a minute, kid." Daniel yelled as Gibbs pulled open the door, drenching the three year old

"Bam! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Gibbs said, high fiving his young grandson

**5 January 2016**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: First – Timeline is different: Gibbs and Jenny got married at 18, had their first kid at 20 and now are about 40 years old. No Shannon or Kelly, so Gibbs is much more lighthearted as you may have noticed.**

**Second: I would like to thank my reviewers, mainly: KrisShannon, DS2010, victoriantealady, hslacer and Ghostwriter for continuously supporting me and this story!**

Jenny walked into the den and grabbed Gibbs, kissing him passionately before hugging him tightly.

"Uh honey, I still have to go to work," Gibbs joked

"I just want you to know that I love you very much and nothing in this world could ever change that," Jenny said

"Who did what?!" Gibbs demanded

"You did!" Jenny exclaimed

"I did what?!" Gibbs asked, springing to his feet

"Well, you see, a couple of weeks ago, I woke up with a funny feeling. So I decided to confirm it and I was right," Jenny explained

"Have you experienced this feeling before?" Gibbs asked, concerned

"Yes, three times. About 20 years ago, 17 years ago and 13 years ago." Jenny said and waited for Gibbs to catch on

"You're pregnant?" Gibbs questioned

Jenny nodded and Gibbs lifted her up and spun her around in joy.

"Gibbs! Take it easy," Jenny shrieked

"Oh of course," Gibbs said putting her down but the grin never left his face

"I am seeing the doctor tomorrow," Jenny told him

"I'll be there but right now, I have to be at my desk since we have some big news for Daniel," Gibbs said rushing out the door

* * *

"Get to work on the paperwork!" Mike yelled

"Me?" Daniel asked," I don't do paperwork,"

"You do now," Mike said tossing him a folder and leaving

"Gibbs! How is this possible?" Daniel asked, flipping through the folder that said he was now a probationary field agent.

"You were qualified," Gibbs said simply

"How?!"

"The day I took you to the obstacle course, was your physical evaluation and the day before when I took out to the range was your Firearms proficiency exam. Pass your Psych Eval and you're in," Gibbs explained

"Sweet!" Daniel cheered as Gibbs raced after Mike

"Hey, Mike, I'm not coming in tomorrow," Gibbs stated

"And why won't you be coming in?" Mike asked

"Jen is going to the doctor," Gibbs said barely containing the happiness

"Something wrong?" Mike asked hiding the concern

"Nothing wrong," Gibbs offered

"Well then, why the hell is she going?" Mike exclaimed

"She's pregnant!" Gibbs announced

"Ain't it a little late?" Mike asked with a frown

"No! And please don't ask her that Mike! She's only 40, should be safe," Gibbs finished

"Then congratulations," Mike said, slapping Gibbs on the back

"Now to tell the girls!" Gibbs thought once again making the same prayer he made three years ago in a speeding vehicle," Oh god, I hope it's a boy,"

**12 February 2016**

**Please review with a name and possible birthday for Baby Gibbs #4!**


	14. Chapter 14

"Dinner will be ready so get your butts to the table," Jenny shouted

Ziva, Kate, Abby and Daniel were at the table but Gibbs and Eric were missing.

"Eric, dinner!" Kate yelled

"Honey, he'll be here," Jenny said, serving food

Eric came bursting in with Gibbs behind him, when dinner was almost over.

"Remember what I told you," Gibbs whispered and Eric nodded

"Squirt, come here, I want to read what's written on your t – shirt," Daniel called, grabbing Eric as he ran past

Gibbs and Jenny waited with bated breath as Daniel read out loud," I'm gonna be a nephew for the 4th time!"

Daniel put Eric back on his feet and stood in surprise. Kate went wide eyed and burst into a smile. Abby looked grossed out and Ziva was just frozen.

Soon congratulatory cheers and hugs were exchanged as Abby shuddered," This means you guys did **it**! Long enough to get pregnant!"

"Well, Abby, contrary to popular belief, we've actually done it multiple times and got lucky 4 times," Jenny said with a smile

"Okay, I did not need to hear that! Congratulations, mom and dad, but I'm out," Abby said plugging her ears

"Yeah, Congratulations, I guess," Ziva said leaving the room

"Oh Mom, I am so happy for you guys," Kate said, hugging Jenny and Gibbs

"Yeah! Hope you get your son, Boss," Daniel said with a one armed and very manly hug

"Boss?" Kate echoed

"You didn't tell her?" Gibbs asked dangerously

"Tell me what!?" Kate asked as the mood changed suddenly

"I am now a probationary field agent under Gibbs and Franks," Daniel said softly

"How could you!" Kate screeched

"How could I what?"

"It's so dangerous! You could die! How am I supposed to tell a three year old that his favourite person is dead or injured," Kate yelled

"Kate, this is what I want to do. Make sure that the world Eric lives in is safe. Same as your dad," Daniel defended

"It is your choice Daniel, you want me or you want this job!" Kate threatened

Daniel stood in the kitchen, frozen. He looked up and shook his head before leaving, out the back.

"Well, that went well," Jenny commented sarcastically

"Talk to Kate and I'll take Ziva," Gibbs said

"Ziva?" Jenny questioned

"Trust me, Jen, something is off with her," Gibbs said, hurrying up the stairs

* * *

"Ziver," Gibbs said quietly, entering her room," What's up with you?"

"Nothing,"

"Can we skip the part where I keep asking and you keep saying nothing?" Gibbs said

"Okay, you and I usually do everything together but with a new kid…" Ziva trailed off

"Listen, nothing will ever make me spend less time with you and look on the bright side, it will almost three years before I can do anything with the new baby," Gibbs said reclining on the bed

"I guess,"

"So, get downstairs, since your mom might cry any minute,"

Ziva jerked upright, mom was crying because of her?

"Kate and Daniel had a little fight," Gibbs mentioned

"Nothing with Kate is ever little," Ziva said, back to her old self

"Oh and Abby wants to see you," Gibbs said leaving the room

* * *

"Kate, don't you think you're overreacting," Jenny asked as she caught up to Kate

"No, I am not,"

"Honey, Daniel is just doing what he loves," Jenny tried

"Yeah, but I love him and don't want to see him in danger all the time!" Kate said angrily

"Daniel is a field agent and you are acting like this. I did just fine when your father joined the Marines, Kate" Jenny said tired of this drama," No you've had your say. Now hear me out,"

"Jen, I'll handle this," Gibbs said strolling in," Kate, answer one question only, do you trust me?"

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Kate exclaimed

"Answer the question," Gibbs ordered

"Yes Dad, I trust you," Kate replied with a sigh

"Then, relax, because out there I will do everything in my power to make sure Daniel is safe. Even if it means laying down my life," Gibbs said forcefully

"Dad, Daniel is not you! He can't just keep coming back." Kate said

"And how do you know that?" Gibbs asked,

"I don't but I don't want to find out either." Kate cried

"Okay, then," Gibbs said with a shrug, leaving and taking Jenny with him

"Grandpa why is everyone sad?" Eric asked

"I don't know, buddy," Gibbs replied, stroking his hair

"Eric, come with Grandma, we can go shopping," Jenny said

"Okay!" Eric yelled, running to get his shoes

"Jethro, why did you just leave it!?" Jenny demanded

"They need to work it out on their own," Gibbs said simply

* * *

Daniel drove, not going anywhere in particular, just thinking.

He loved Kate and Eric but he wanted to be an NCIS agent. Why couldn't Kate just support him? he wondered but realised that ultimately she was protecting Eric.

"This decision makes itself," He said out loud, speeding to NCIS

He ran up the stairs and into Director Morrow's office, barely stopping to think as he swung the door open.

"Sir, I can't be an NCIS agent," He said, handing Morrow the badge he had just gotten

"Why not? You are amazing out there," Morrow said, fingering the badge

"My girlfriend gave me a choice, her or the job. I'm sorry sir but I choose her," Daniel said, shaking his head

"Good choice," Morrow said," Don't ever leave the one's you love for a job,"

"My thoughts exactly," Daniel said, "Will you tell Agent Franks?"

"Yes I will," Morrow said, ushering the young man out of the office as he dialled Gibbs

"Gibbs," Gibbs answered

"Daniel quit because of your daughter, care to advise me?" Morrow said briefly

"Don't do anything. Kate will deal with it," Gibbs replied gruffly

"Okay, if you are sure, I give them three days only,"

"Good enough,"

* * *

Daniel pulled into the driveway and just sat in the car. He took a deep breath and jumped off the car and entered the house.

Kate turned at the sound of the door being closed and saw Daniel," Go away!"

"Why?" Daniel asked

"I need time to think about this NCIS business," Kate said, avoiding his eye contact

"You don't have to, I quit," Daniel announced

"You did what!" Kate yelled

"I quit," Daniel said simply

"Why?" Kate demanded

"I thought you wanted me to quit," Daniel said, confused

"No! I wanted you to give me some time to think about it!" Kate screamed

"But, you were upset," Daniel tried

"Danny, I was upset but I don't want you to leave what you love because of it," Kate explained

"But..." Daniel stuttered

"Honey, I realise that I may have overreacted,"

"May have! Someone would have thought I was joining the Marines." Daniel joked

Kate slapped him on the shoulder and continued," But if Mom could deal with Dad for 20 years, I guess I can deal with you,"

"Morrow is going to murder me for making him go crazy," Daniel exhaled

"If he gives you any trouble, I'll be here,"

* * *

Gibbs walked through the door to find Kate snuggled up into Daniel's side and taking aim, he threw the badge and nailed Daniel's head.

"Ouch, what the…" Daniel cried but seeing the badge made him stop cold.

"I'm back?" He questioned

"Yes, you are back and I am proud of you,"

Daniel said nothing, just basked in the glory of the moment

"I am going to be an uncle," Daniel muttered slipping a ring onto Kate's sleeping figure.

Now to wait for her to wake up!


	15. Chapter 15

"Where's my husband, Mike!" Jenny demanded over the phone

"Director sent him somewhere," Mike said," Why?"

"Well, I am in labour," Jenny yelled

"Can't someone else take you to the hospital?" Mike questioned as Daniel ran in with his coffee

"No! Kate is wedding planning, Abby and Ziva are at school and Eric is 4!" Jenny growled

"I'll send Daniel over ASAP," Mike said with a chuckle

"Where am I going?" Daniel asked

"Take Jenny to the hospital," Mike directed as he skipped stairs to MTAC

"I'm on it!" Daniel blurted, running to the elevator

* * *

"Morrow! Where the hell is Gibbs?" Mike asked of his boss

"Gibbs is attending a seminar in your place," Morrow replied, flipping through folders

"Get him out of there because Jenny is in labour," Mike said with a smirk

"I can't," Morrow said, looking up

Mike was quick in dialling Gibbs before ordering," To the hospital Probie, you're about to be a dad,"

Mike could hear the yells and demands of the lecturer and the howls of the agents also at the seminar.

"I'll be there in 20," Gibbs panted hanging up

Mike called Daniel telling him that Gibbs would meet them at the hospital.

* * *

"Nice of you to join us!" Jenny commented as Gibbs barrelled in

"I am here aren't I," Gibbs drawled

"Push!" the doctor cried

Jenny clutched Gibbs' hand and let out a blood curling scream and Gibbs' winced forgetting how much that hurt.

* * *

"Why is Grandma screaming?" Eric asked Daniel, as they paced in the waiting room

"Grandma is having a baby," Daniel said as an explanation

Eric looked thoughtful but didn't say anything.

Kate came running in, almost knocking her son over.

"Am I in time?" she asked hurriedly

"Yeah, kid isn't born yet," Daniel said, flopping onto a nearby chair

* * *

14 hours later, Jack and Abby and Ziva had all arrived. They joined Kate and Daniel in the waiting room and Mike had taken Eric for a snack.

Gibbs emerged, smiling like crazy and announced," It is a…"

"Just get on with it!" Jack ordered his son with a fatherly glare

"I got my son," Gibbs finished with a huge smile

Ziva yelled in joy and attacked her father with a hug," I was sick of all these females!"

Kate glared at Ziva before mentioning that she was a female too.

"Nope, I am Iron Man," Ziva retorted

"How?" Kate questioned

"Fe is Iron and Male is man," Ziva said with a smirk

"So what's his name!" Abby asked jumping up and down

"You'll have to wait and find out," Gibbs teased as Eric charged at him

"Can I see the baby now!" He asked impatiently

Gibbs nodded leading the way, Eric still in his arms

* * *

Jenny looked up at everyone who entered and grinned

"Meet Baby Gibbs," she said, holding up the child

"Come on Mom!" Ziva cried

"Okay, His name is Andrew Jackson," Gibbs said, lifting his infant son into his arms

"I'm honoured," Jack said, tears in his eyes as he took his grandson from Gibbs

"Gonna follow in daddy's footsteps," Mike said good naturedly

"What's the date today?" Jackson asked

"November 10th," Abby replied carefully taking the baby from Jack

Gibbs looked up in realisation before shaking his head when his father tried to speak

"Marine Corp Birthday," Jack said finally

"He's gonna be a future marine, like me," Ziva said

"Over my dead body!" Jenny declared

Ziva just chuckled as Eric leaned over the bed to see Andy who was being cradled by Kate

"Grandma, where did he come from?" Eric asked innocently

"Ask Grandpa," Jenny said immediately

"Mommy should know, she's smart," Gibbs evaded, pointing to Kate

"Well," Kate stammered," The stork left him here,"

Gibbs laughed when Eric asked," Then why was Grandma yelling?"

"She was scared?" Daniel tried and wiped his brow when Eric just nodded

"Welcome Baby Andrew," Gibbs whispered into his ear," You don't know how long I've waited,"

**10 November 2016**


	16. Chapter 16

_**Sorry for the long wait… But I am back now, I think…**_

"Dad! I told you not to move!" Ziva said with a whine

"You told me to act natural, so when I see continued on page 5, I turn the page," Gibbs said as if it were obvious

"Oh forget it. I can't draw." Ziva said tearing out the page from her sketchbook

"Ziva, you can do anything you put your mind to," Jenny said coming up to see the drawing Ziva had discarded," Except maybe draw,"

"What am I going to do? My art project is due Monday," Ziva asked with frustrated edge in her voice

"Well, art doesn't mean drawing. How about watercolours?" Jenny asked

"Tried it," Ziva responded

"Paper Mache?" Jenny tried

"Hated it," Ziva declared

"Whittling," Gibbs said from behind his newspaper

"Whittling?!" Jenny and Ziva echo

"Isn't that what old people do right before they die?" Ziva asked seriously

"I'll have you know that my grandfather taught me to whittle when I was 9 years old," Gibbs said putting the paper down and turning to face Ziva

"I don't thing I want Ziva handling a knife," Jenny said with an all knowing smirk as she left to check on the three week old Andrew

"I'll teach her," Gibbs said looking to Ziva for approval

"I am desperate," she said finally

"Hey Grandma, hey Ziva," Eric said as he stormed in with his mother following

"Hey Eric," Gibbs greeted

When there was no response from the five year old who had clearly heard him Gibbs remarked," Come on! Don't tell me you're still mad at me,"

"Honey, we've been through this, Grandpa was working late so he couldn't come to your play," Kate said from the doorway

"But Danny was there and he works with Grandpa!" Eric said frankly

Gibbs had let Daniel go but had stayed with Mike to finish up the case. Rule No. 1: Never screw your partner and Mike had needed him.

"What's the big deal? It was a play about cowboys anyway!" Ziva said with a shake of her head

"I was the Sherriff!" Eric said with an air of pride

"I'm sorry I missed it, champ and I'm sure you were the best Sherriff to grace the stage," Gibbs said fondly as he tried to ruffle Eric's hair

"So Dad, can we start whittling? I only have two days to finish this." Ziva said finally

"We are going to start you with a bar of soap when you get the hang of it we will graduate to wood," Gibbs said, heading down to the basement

"I'll get the soap," Ziva said with a sigh

"And I'll get the knife. Meet you in the porch," Gibbs said

"Great! He can find time for soap but not for Sheriffs!" Eric complained as Jenny came around the corner

"Come on, you can help me with Andy instead," Jenny smiled, leading her grandson to the living room.

* * *

"This is a great knife," Ziva said as she ran in across a bar of soap

"Yeah, my grandfather gave it to my father, my father gave it to me and I am lending it to you," Gibbs said with a smirk

"Jee, I am touched," Ziva said sarcastically

"I got soap too. Will you teach me?" Eric asked as he dashed out the back door

" 'fraid I can't Eric. You might hurt yourself, but you can watch," Gibbs offered

"I never get to do anything," Eric said with a pout

"You get to clean up when we're done," Ziva said with a quick glance at Gibbs who gave a quick shake of his head

"I wanna do something with Grandpa. _**NOW**_!" Eric said firmly

"Eric, I gotta help Ziva with her art project but tomorrow we can do anything you like," Gibbs compromised

"Do you promise?" Eric asked with a stare

"Yes, I do. Now how about you go inside? I believe it is 13:00 hours," Gibbs said with a laugh as Eric bolted out of fear of missing the latest episode of Phineas and Ferb.

* * *

"Hey Eric, Danny and I are going for ice cream, wanna come?" Kate asked as she watched her son connect his tracks and ready his cars and guns.

"Nope, Grandpa and I are going to play all day!" Eric said happily, emphasising the fun things he was going to do

"Well, have fun," Daniel said as he walked out

"Okay, Eric, where are we off to?" Gibbs asked as he jogged down the stairs

"Nowhere! We are going to play cars and then detectives and then water gun target practice!"

"Okay then, sounds like you have everything planned. But we have got to take this outside, grandma doesn't want us disturbing the baby," Gibbs said in a low voice

* * *

"Dad! Agent Franks…!" Ziva yelled before Jenny shushed her and seconds later Ziva appeared in the doorway saying," Franks is here to see you,"

Gibbs brushed off the grass from his t shirt and hair after being wrestled to the ground by Eric who demanded he confess to blowing up the ice cream factory on the moon.

"He is waiting in the study," Ziva said as she peeked into the fridge

"What's up Franks?" Gibbs asked hurriedly

"I am retiring, Probie." Franks said with a drawl

"You can't retire! Mike, who is going to lead the team?" Gibbs said with a frantic gesture

"You will, Jethro." Mike said grabbing Gibbs by the shoulders," You can do it, trust me."

"So now you plan on retiring to a shack in Mexico somewhere," Gibbs said with an eye roll

"Nah, gonna retire to my house for now, until I get everything in order then, Mexico looks good," Mike said with a laugh

"What do you need from me?" Gibbs asked finally

"I need you to come to the office. We gotta do one last thing." Franks said with a slap to Gibbs' shoulder

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right out," Gibbs said jogging to the backyard

"Sorry, bud. I gotta go in to NCIS, it is real important," Gibbs said kneeling to Eric's height

"I understand," Eric said strongly until Gibbs was out of earshot," Everything is more important than me!"

Eric climbed the tree in the front yard and sat on the branch. He watched Gibbs leave with ranks and a piece of their conversation reached his ears.

"So I told that sorry excuse of a marine that if he wanted attention and he wanted to get noticed then he should stop acting like a whiny little brat and start acting like a Marine," Franks said before the two had jumped to another topic,

Eric nodded firmly," Then what is what I will do,"

**December, 1st 2016**


	17. Chapter 17

"Private Gibbs reporting to the galley sir," Eric yelled as he marched into the kitchen, causing Gibbs and Jenny to stare in surprise

"Eric, what are you up to?" Gibbs asked with an amused glance

"I'm a marine. Permission to sit, sir?" Eric said stumbling over the words

"Permission granted," Gibbs obliged, if his grandson wanted to play a marine he would play his part.

Abby came downstairs looking like a mess.

"You are up early for a school morning," Jenny remarked

"Eric has been playing drums since 05:30." Abby said with a tired yawn

"Where is he anyway?" Ziva asked throwing herself onto the nearest couch

"He has joined Jethro on his morning run. I think Daniel joined them," Jenny said with a shake of her head

"When he gets back, I am going to kill him," Abby said searching for a caffeine fix

"I will help you," Ziva said," It is like he has become a drill instructor as if my JROTC DI isn't bad enough,"

"Hitting him does not seem to help," Abby mentioned

"First of all we do not hit in this house and secondly, we do eat a nutritious breakfast so there is oatmeal on the stove," Jenny said with a nod to the kitchen

"Honey," Gibbs panted as he walked through the front door," You would not believe your grandson this morning,"

"What did Eric do now?" Kate asked as she walked in

"Where is Eric?" Jenny asked with a look of confusion

"He is in the back yard, drilling his action figures," Gibbs said with a smile," It is the cutest thing you will ever see. I'm gonna grab the camera,"

"Dad, don't you think his behaviour is a little unusual?" Kate asked, sitting down

"In what way?" Gibbs asked with a shrug

"In every way," Kate exclaimed

"She is right. Yesterday he was a gentle and easy going little boy and today he is a lean, mean, fighting machine." Jenny said, hurrying to Andy's cries

"So, this is because he is acting like a marine?" Gibbs asked Kate

"Not exactly, it just isn't Eric," Kate replied distractedly

"I'm gonna take him with me to NCIS, feel bad about blowing him off yesterday," Gibbs said as he walked to the backyard to fetch his grandson.

* * *

At NCIS, Gibbs had left Eric with Morrow while he got some coffee. Daniel was going to swing by and fetch his son for a play date with Chase Jackson. When he came back to the office he found Vera and Mike in Morrow's office.

"Hey Mike, Vera," Gibbs greeted," Eric, this is a surprise,"

"You taking up golf?"

"No sir! Practicing my manual of arms," Eric responded, golf club in hand

"Wait till you see," Morrow cooed," Mike show him,"

"Present arms!" Mike yelled

Eric did the appropriate movements with his make shift gun

"Under arm," Mike yelled again

Eric brought the golf club to rest at his side

"At ease!' Mike yelled for the third time

Eric adjusted his stance accordingly

"How d'ya like it, Grandpa?" Eric asked turning his head to see his grandfather

"It was good," Gibbs said, slightly shocked

"You damn right it was," Vera said as she left the office with Mike

"Weren't you supposed to go home with your dad to meet Chase?"

"Chase is a child, I am a marine. Work, work, work, no time for play," Eric said seriously

"You must have rubbed off on him, but at last a child I can relate to," Morrow laughed

"How did this start?" Gibbs asked Morrow

"Well, Eric asked a question about the manual of arms so Mike and I decided to do a little practical. You've seen the results, the kid is a sponge. Soaked it all up," Morrow replied with a grin

"Eric, I think you have soaked up enough for one day. Director Morrow is a very busy man," Gibbs said finally

"Nonsense! There is always time to mould America's youth," Morrow said with a pat of Eric's head

"The Secretary of Defence has got to see this!" Morrow exclaimed finally leading Eric to MTAC

* * *

"This marine thing with Eric is getting out of hand!" Gibbs said when he entered the living room

"This morning it was an adorable moment you had to record, what changed?" Jenny asked, a slight tease in her voice

"That was this morning before Mike, Vera and Morrow became her playmates," Gibbs said, tensing up

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked as she handed Andy to his father

"He spent all afternoon doing drills and practiced the manual of arms with a golf club!" Gibbs said as he adjusted his son in his arms, "The Director was so impressed he made him his Junior Assistant Director," Gibbs said in disbelief

"Sounds like it is time for you to talk to Eric about hanging up his combat boots," Jenny said with a pointed glare

"Yeah, Daniel says they will be coming over for dinner," Gibbs said distractedly

Gibbs spent the time before his grandson came over playing with Andy but there was only so much of face pulling Andy could handle before he fell asleep. Andy was nestled safely in his crib when Eric came barrelling through the front door

"Eric, a word please kiddo," Gibbs said motioning for Eric to enter the study

"Listen, I know you are having fun pretending but you are taking it too far," Gibbs said, seating Eric on his lap," It is not like you to blow off your friends,"

"I am not blowing 'em off, I am just being a good marine," Eric said with a shrug of his shoulders

"But you are not a marine," Gibbs emphasised

"I havta be!" Eric yelled finally, "It is the only way you will pay attention to me! I have got to stop acting like a whiny brat and start acting like a real marine!"

The light bulb shone brightly over Gibbs' head as he remembered that being part of one of Mike's stories, one Eric must've heard.

Eric burst into sobs and Gibbs held him close, whispering into his ear and rubbing his back.

"Ric, listen to me and listen to me good, what Mike said does not apply to you. I am sorry that I had to leave you with Grandma but I love you just the way you are. You are a great kid, Eric and I do want to spend time with you but sometime I gotta work," Gibbs said as he met Eric's stormy grey eyes.

"Okay, Grandpa," Eric said dejectedly

"But how about this, Monday, it will be just me and you, I promise," Gibbs said making a mental not to inform Morrow that he would not come in.

"You won't leave me?' Eric questioned

"Nope, not even if the sky falls," Gibbs said as he began to tickle the five year old

"All good?" Daniel asked when the two emerged

"Yup, he is back to being five," Gibbs retorted

"Oh thank god! He wanted me to jump out of a plane with him next!" Daniel said sighing in relief


	18. Chapter 18

"Ziva, put the turkey down." Jenny ordered as she entered the kitchen

"Please, Mom, let me toss this. We've been picking these bones for a week. Let the poor bastard rest in peace." Ziva begged, holding the turkey over the open trashcan

"I prepared a Thanksgiving feast for 26 people. I have the right to phone it in," Jenny said finally as she exited the kitchen

"What are you doing with the presents?" Eric asked as he flopped onto the sofa with Cupcake, their new dog

"Oh, I'm sending them to relatives, sweetie. Hey, you know what? Grandma has got a jillion Christmas cards to send, and it would be really helpful if you would take these reindeer stamps, and put them on," Jenny said before she was cut off

"No, thank you." Eric said rushing out

"Oh, sure. No one wants to know how the sausage is made." Jenny complained

"Whoa! Hey! Hold on, little man. Watch out. Your head is at a very dangerous height right now. So? I heard there was sausage. Are we finally done with that stupid turkey? " Gibbs said with glee as he entered

"Nope. Mom's still phoning it in." Ziva cried from the kitchen

"Come on."

"It's a holiday logjam, Gibbs. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. And surviving all that is the real reason I allow myself to be over-served New Year's Eve." Jenny said as she worked on the gifts

"You gotta learn to pace yourself, honey. Then you might actually get to see that ball drop." Gibbs said with a tease in his voice

"Been watching 'em drop for years, dear." Jenny retorted

"I've been watching stuff drop, too." Gibbs said hopelessly

"Touché, now come here. You wanna help me with some of this stuff? - I've got all this…" Jenny muttered

"Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't been around more. It's been insane." Gibbs said grimly

"Hey, Abby, come here, honey. I need some help with Christmas." Jenny said to a passing Abby

"Yeah, I'm already doing my part by going away to Cancun with all my friends. Plus I pre-registered for all my gifts online. Ooh, and if you order today, free shipping. You're welcome."

* * *

"Kate, he's with your folks all the time. He's never even met my parents." Daniel whined

"Why is it that every time I say "no," you don't listen?" Kate said tiredly, "Daniel wants to take Eric away for the holidays To Canada."

"What? No. Not Christmas. Christmas is a time for family, love, and affection. So screw you." Gibbs said happily

"My folks have a big place up in Winnipeg with a frozen pond out back. I can teach Eric how to skate." Daniel tried

"What if Eric cracks his head open on the ice?" Kate asked

"Canada. Free health care." Daniel tried

"No, he's gonna have a traditional, good, old-fashioned American Christmas while he's still young enough to enjoy it, not all jaded and greedy like this crew." Gibbs said with a quick look around

"Hey. I'm not greedy. I just believe the baby Jesus would want me to have an iPad." Ziva said from her perch on the kitchen counter.

* * *

"Jenny's been really working hard. I wanna get her something special for Christmas, let her know that she's really appreciated." Gibbs said, complaining to Mike as they grabbed coffee at a nearby cafe

"All right. Let's see. Perfect gift. All right. You have a dog, right? Cupcake? Jenny loves this dog." Mike started

"We all do." Gibbs said with a nod

" Okay, good. Go home, kidnap the dog," Mike said as if it were normal

Gibbs looked distraught and feared for his former boss' sanity

"Just- just hide it somewhere. Now this is important- write down where you hid it. Jenny's gonna think it's lost. She's distraught. She puts up signs all over the neighborhood. At the right time you find Cupcake, all right? You wrap a big-wrap a big red bow around his neck, and it's a Christmas miracle. You're a hero. That's it." Mike finished grandly

"Please, God, tell me you haven't done this before." Gibbs said with a look of horror

"My only mistake was doing it twice with the same wife." Mike said with a grin, " See on Christmas,"

* * *

"I can't believe Daniel thought we'd let him take Eric to Canada?" Gibbs said to Jenny as they spent the night alone

"Yeah, yeah. That was something, huh?" Jenny said distractedly

"Boy, wasn't it? What?" Gibbs said picking up on an edge in Jenny's voice

"Oh, no, nothing. Just, um when, uh, when Daniel asked if he could take Eric, there was a tiny little part of me that kind of went, "yay!" Jenny muttered sadly

"Really?" Gibbs asked with a look of surprise

"Just a nice, no-fuss Christmas." Jenny said with a sigh

"You know this happens to you every year. You're just a little out of sorts. As soon as you hear your favourite song, "The Little Drummer Boy" You know, you get it back." Gibbs said with a shrug

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe. I just keep thinking about how simple Christmas was when it was just you and me, you know? A little apartment , remember?" Jenny said reminiscing

"So you, uh, wanna do Christmas without the kids?" Gibbs asked finally

"Uh, no. No, no, no, no. I can't even imagine Christmas without Kate and Abby and Ziva and Eric." Jenny said finally, heading up to bed

* * *

"Finally giving that bird a respectable send-off?" Kate asked as Gibbs slid it into the trashcan

"I've given this bird a respectable send-off every morning about 8:05." Gibbs said as Kate looked disgusted

"Hey, thanks for supporting me with Daniel, by the way." Kate said as she took a seat

"Some nerve of that guy, thinking he could take Eric out of the country to wannabe-America for Christmas. On the other hand, maybe Eric would like it there. They got Mounties, they got maple syrup, they got, and um well you can Google it. I'm sure there's a lot of stuff up there that kids like." Gibbs said trying to plant the seed

"Wait, should I- should have let Eric go?" Kate asked

"Go where?" Jenny asked entering

"Oh, Kate is having second thoughts about Eric going to Canada." Gibbs said with a straight face

"What kind of mom would that make me? Not being with my kid at Christmas?" Kate wondered

"Um, it's, uh, not the most terrible thing I've ever heard." Jenny said stuttering

"If there's some way that you could do it where you wouldn't have to be separated, you could, uh well, you could go with him." Gibbs said with a huge flourish

"Seriously?" Kate asked in confusion

"Got plenty of room up there. Canadians don't shut up about their wide-open spaces." Gibbs said suddenly

"No, I don't want to ruin your guys' Christmas. " Kate said as she inched closer to her father

"Oh, hey, come on. It's gonna be quiet, but we're gonna be fine here. We really will." Jenny said fighting to keep the smile from her face

"All right. I guess I'll go check into some flights." Kate said, leaving

"You're doing it! You're doing it!" Jenny said excitedly

"Quiet. It's your present." Gibbs said pulling her into a hug

"This is not good." Jenny whispered

"Don't worry about it. We got Abby taken care of. Kate and Eric. Just got one more kid to get rid of. " Gibbs said pondering

"Ziva." Jenny said looking up to Gibbs

"She's gonna be a problem. All right, let me think of something." Gibbs said scratching his head

"Wait a minute. You didn't hear this from me, but The Goldstein's invited Ziva to go with them to Aspen over the holidays, but _someone_ insisted that she needed to work." Jenny said with a look

"I know somebody who knows somebody who can make that go away." Gibbs said evilly

* * *

"So, Abby's off to Mexico in a week." Gibbs said reviewing

"And Kate booked Canada. Gonna be gone till the 28th." Jenny added," And how did it go with firing Ziva?"

The door slammed as Ziva walked in.

"I'd say it went pretty well," Gibbs said with a glance

"I can't believe it's just gonna be just the three of us. Gosh, I shouldn't have bought a 20-pound ham." Jenny said cradling Andrew

"Challenge accepted." Gibbs said before he was interrupted by teenage girl drama

"No, you have to go to Cancun." Abby begged as they came down the stairs

"I am not going." The second person said as she yanked the door open

"Listen, if you don't go, none of us can go, and I will have to stay home with my family, which will suck." Abby said, pleading

"I'll handle this." Gibbs said heading toward them

"Girls, girls, girls, what's all the yelling about?" Gibbs asked as Abby quickly filled him in

"Okay, Chloe's boyfriend Steve made out with Leslie, who just broke up with Trevor at Zach's party, so now Chloe doesn't wanna go to Cancun, so the whole trip is falling apart."

"Well, that can't stop you from going. Chloe's a drag. You've always said that." Gibbs said with a shrug

"I'm Chloe." The blonde haired girl said

"Not Chloe. I mean the girl that cried at your birthday party 'cause she has real fat calves." Gibbs tried

"That was also me." Chloe said

"Listen, you're getting me off point here. This is a great trip. There must be a simple, easy way to fix this." Gibbs decided to do some mediating

* * *

"All right. Enough. Let me get this straight, Steve- the only reason that you kissed Leslie was 'cause you were at Zach's party and this girl Camille dared you to do it?" Gibbs said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming on

"No. Katrina dared him because she used to have a crush on Steve." Abby corrected

"So Steve kissed her because he was dared, and a real man doesn't run from a dare. So what you actually have here is, whoa, a real man." Gibbs finished half heartedly

"Wow. I never thought of it that way." Chloe said with a smile

"So we're goin' to Cancun?" Gibbs clarified

"Yes! - All right. Thank you, Dad." Abby yelled launching herself into his arms

"Well, well, well." Ziva chanted as she stepped into the den

"Hey, Ziva. What's up" Gibbs asked as he sunk into his comfortable chair

" I know what you're up to, old man." Ziva said threateningly, "Sending Kate off to the frozen North. Knockin' off me and Abby. You wanna clear out the house, spend some alone time with your little lady friend and the kid, heh? Hmm. What if I suddenly wasn't in the mood for skiing?"

"All right. I'll play along. What'll it take to have this go away?"

"Well there's a report card comin'. I want you to sign it. No questions asked." Ziva said folding her arms and staring

"Listen, how-how bad a report card is it?" Gibbs asked as Ziva walked away

"I'm getting a "D" in art." Ziva said turning back

"A "D" in art?!" Gibbs exclaimed in surprise

"I-I can't draw hands, okay? They always end up looking like a bunch of bananas."

"Well, what do your bananas look like?" Gibbs asked out of curiousity

" You do not wanna know." Ziva retorted, exiting the den

* * *

"Eric, what are you doing up? You should be in bed." Jenny said as her grandson appeared in the kitchen doorway

"You're putting Christmas away?" Eric asked, as he stared at the snow globe in front of him

"Well, honey, you're not gonna be here." Jenny said, "It's just gonna be me and Grandpa and Andy."

"But I wanna see you on Christmas." Eric said brushing his hair out of his eyes

"Well, you'll be with your other grandma and grandpa." Jenny said with a kiss to his forehead

"It won't be the same." Eric said with his puppy dog eyes

"No, it won't, honey. What's, uh, what's that you got there?" Jenny asked referring to the snow globe

"It's my new toy." Eric said hitting the button

The little drummer boy's jingle sounded and Eric sang with it, "Pa rum pa pum pum rum pa pum pum"

Jenny felt tear welling as she placed a hand on her grandson's head

* * *

"Why does this place smell like an air freshener? Please tell me you're gonna hang this - from your mirror in your car." Gibbs said as he walked through the door after a night out

"No. I heard that Christmas carol, "The Little Drummer Boy. It always gets to me." Jenny said as she decorated the tree

"So you've completely changed your mind?"

"Honey, I can't stand the thought of waking up Christmas morning and not having the girls here. And Eric." Jenny said as she continued her decoration

"All right, all right, all right. I got a little bit of work to do then." Gibbs said tiredly

"But, honey, I mean, this is crazy. Isn't it too late?" Jenny questioned before finishing, "Gibbs, if you can get the girls here for Christmas morning, it would be the most amazing Christmas gift ever, and you can put the blame all on me."

"No, no, no, no, no. I'll be the Grinch. I'll just tell everybody that my heart grew three sizes today. And it might have happened, actually. I got these weird pains in my shoulder." Gibbs said as he yelled for the girls

"Well, well, well." Ziva said stepping out from the den

"How long you been standing there?" Gibbs asked

"Long enough, my friend. So, now you want everyone to cancel their plans. I suppose I could be persuaded for a price." Ziva tried

"No more blackmail. Girls, get down here!"

"But you're honouring our existing deal, correct?" Ziva asked

"Just get your grades up, banana hands." Gibbs said turning his attention to his other daughters.

"Sit down, please. Family meeting. This is gonna be bad news, but I want to downsize your Christmases. I don't want anybody traveling this Christmas." Gibbs started

"But, honey, they all made plans." Jenny said robotically

"Listen, I thought it was okay to be without you guys. Truth is, I don't want you gone over Christmas, 'cause without you guys here, it's just a day without mail delivery." Gibbs said with vivid hand motions

"I can't believe you're doing this, Dad. I already bought my tickets – And they're refundable! Whoo!" Kate said happily

"Okay, there is no good way to get to Winnipeg, and then once you're there, it's 23 below. And you're in freakin' Winnipeg." Kate said ranting

"Yeah. I never wanted to go with the Goldsteins." Ziva said finally," And, Dad, could I please have - my wrapping job back? I'm trying to save up for that iPad, which I guess I'm not getting?"

"You never know. I do. You don't." Gibbs said avoiding the topic, but yes, Ziva would get her iPad, it was currently tucked away safely in Jenny's makeup cupboard. Ziva wouldn't go near that.

"Now look, I know you're gonna be upset about Cancun…" Gibbs said to Abby

"It's just as well, I think. Chloe and Leslie are, like, fighting again. I don't know, I think I'm dodging a bullet." Abby said finally

"So, this is great! I'm so excited. And we'll have a different kind of Christmas, where everybody pitches in- help with the wrapping Cooking. 'Cause I want your mom to be the Christmas queen.- Doesn't have anything to do up until new year's, which, after that, she'll be out of commission, anyway," Gibbs directed

"But I want to see Moo-maa and Poppy-pop." Eric said

"I'm sorry, Eric." Gibbs said as he tried to comfort his grandson

"No, w-w-wait. Why don't we have moo-moo and poo-poo- but-wh-why don't we have them here for the holidays?" Jenny said, looking at Gibbs

"Really?! –" Gibbs exclaimed

"Why not, honey? Just for a few days. W- The more, the merrier, right?" Jenny said trying to get him to agree

"You heard your mom. Last one to cancel their plans is gonna have to share a room with the old Canadians."

"They are not Canadian. They just retired there," Kate said before dashing up the stairs

* * *

"Oh, by the way, did you ever find that perfect gift for Jenny?" Mike asked as the two nursed a couple of beers in the den

"Yeah, I did your dog thing." Gibbs said with a smirk

"What do you mean? Cupcake's right here." Mike said pointing to the fluffy white dog at his feet

"No, I did it with the kids."

"What?"

"I made it look like the kids disappeared for Christmas. And when Jenny changed her mind, I brought 'em back magically. I looked like a big hero." Gibbs said with a shrug

"Yeah, but how could you be so sure that Jenny would change her mind and want everybody back?" Mike asked as he took a swig of beer

"Well, let's just say the fix was in. I gave little Eric this Christmas present early." Gibbs said revealing the snow globe

"Merry Christmas, Boss." Gibbs said

"It is just Franks now, Jethro,"

**15 December 2016**


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey. The game is almost on. Where were you?" Gibbs asked as he stood up from his seat

"The mall." Ziva answered as she hauled a dress into the sitting room

"Two questions-what were you doing at the mall, and did you bring me a big pretzel?" Gibbs asked as he looked around

"Dad, check it out. She's like the plain girl in the movie who discovers that she can be pretty with the help of her super-hot sister!" Abby said as she came to stand beside her father and sister.

"Ziva, come on. Let's not miss kick-off." Gibbs said as he flipped the channels

"But, Dad, I wanted to try on this new dress with the shoes Abby is loaning me for Taylor's party Friday night." Ziva said excitedly as she held up the velvet blue dress

"You've got practice Friday night. You got a soccer game Saturday," Gibbs said with a frown

"Dad, Ziva is in high school now. And even if she didn't have to live up to this," Abby said showcasing her face, "Where was I going with this?"

"Dad, I was, uh, I was kinda hoping I could, um, blow off practice Friday night." Ziva said with a shrug

"No, you can't blow off practice." Gibbs said firmly

"Why? Ziva scores all the goals anyway. If she's not there, one of those other future gym teachers can kick a few." Abby said as she busied herself with all her shopping bags

"Please, Dad. I'm so burned out on soccer. I don't have time for anything fun, because all I do is practice sports and play sports." Ziva said folding her arms with a huff

"And as a reward, you get to watch sports with Dad." Gibbs said indicating the starting match

"So you're not even gonna let me miss one stupid practice?" Ziva asked in disbelief

"You can miss stupid practice. You can't miss soccer practice. You start flaking out on stuff like this, you might as well just quit the team." Gibbs said as he turned to face his daughter

"Fine. Then I quit." Ziva announced as she grabbed the dress and stormed off toward the staircase

"You're not quitting. That's a slippery slope. You do that, you end up driving around with these jerks egging cars." Gibbs changed his tune as he his daughter barely stopped to acknowledge him.

Gibbs leaned into the couch, not focusing on the match anymore. He could hear Ziva upstairs and the door slams made it obvious that she was mad at him.

* * *

"We got a big problem. Your youngest daughter wants to quit soccer." Gibbs said when Jenny got home.

"So? What do you care? You hate soccer." Jenny said as carried 6 month old Andrew.

"I also hate our neighbours. That doesn't stop you from inviting them over here." Gibbs complained as his son tried grabbing his father's moving hands.

"She plays soccer well. It's a waste of talent." Gibbs said with a shrug before taking Andrew from his wife

"Hey, are you guys talking about me?" Abby asked, dancing in

"No, we're not." Gibbs said as he continued his soccer rant

" 'Cause I just heard the word "talent," and I thought you must have heard- I'm up for a solo in show choir!" Abby announced grandly

"That's great. I just don't want Ziva to think she can be a quitter." Gibbs continued

"Oh, come on, honey. She's so talented, she could do anything she puts her mind to." Jenny said as she took a seat in the living room

"Kinda like me in show choir!" Abby tried again

"That's good, honey. You go do that." Jenny said with a smile

"So you can't waste all the effort, right?" Gibbs asked in desperation

"Oh, sure, I can. I never have to wash another sweaty soccer sock again," Jenny said opening her newspaper

"Yeah, but, honey, what if Ziva is destined for the Olympics?" Gibbs tried hopelessly

"So here's another reason why I should quit soccer. If I'm not always covered with bruises, you won't get all those dirty looks in church." Ziva said, trying to swing a deal.

"You play soccer. You're really good at soccer. You're not quitting soccer. That's the end of story." Gibbs said, glaring at his daughter

"That's so unfair. Now you're punishing me - for being good at something?" Ziva yelled, moving to the stairs again

"Listen, when you're carrying an American flag into that Olympic stadium representing the U.S. Olympic soccer team, you're gonna thank me for this." Gibbs said with a questioning glance at Jenny

"Or, because my dad puts too much pressure on me, I'll be working the pole at Bob's Classy Lady!" Ziva retorted, stomping up the stairs and banging her room door.

"Like they'd ever hire a girl with an attitude like that." Gibbs said with a smirk to his son who just gurgled happily

* * *

"Hey, what are you still doing here?" Gibbs asked Abby, " Ziva's gonna be late for soccer."

"Maybe I'll get lucky and blow out my knee and then be out for the season." Ziva grumbled as she trudged to the car

"Well, that's the spirit." Gibbs said half halfheartedly

* * *

"Hello? Abby, it's Sammy from Ziva's soccer team."

"The one with the hairy legs?" Abby asked as she took a break from her auditions

"No. That's Cindy. And I know. Seriously, she looks like a centaur. Anyway, we have a situation." Sammy said finally

"Is Ziva okay?" Abby asked immediately, fearing the worst for her sister as she leaned heavily against the wall

"Kind of. We blew off practice and went to Taylor's party. Ziva had three Tequila poppers." Sammy said dragging the words out

"Ziva doesn't drink." Abby said in shock

"You're telling me. She's terrible at it." Sammy exclaimed, "My parents are gonna be home in an hour, and she's hammered!"

"This is what you do. Get her on her feet, - take her into the bathroom." Abby instructed

"Why?" Sammy asked as she glanced at her passed out friend

"Because in five minutes, something is coming out of somewhere, and it's good to be on tile." Abby said when the judges resumed auditions, "I'll try and get there,"

* * *

"Thanks for coming, Abby." Sammy said breathing a sigh of relief as she opened the front door

"No time. I do the talking." Abby said, flying in, "Can she walk on her own?"

"I think so."

"What's the ETA on your parents?" Abby asked as she adjusted Ziva's position

"15 minutes." Sammy responded, checking her phone

"We have to work fast." Abby said, "Make Ziva a cup of coffee- - lots of cream, lots of sugar. Is this water?"

Sammy nodded as she sprinted to the kitchen. Abby grabbed the water at tossed onto Ziva's face:

"Come on, Ziva! Work with me! We gotta get you back into your soccer uniform. Up, up, up! You did not ditch soccer tonight. You went to practice. Say it!" Abby ordered, trying to get Ziva's kit on

"I went to practice tonight." Ziva said with a whine

"This is all Dad's fault for forcing me to stay on the soccer team. You don't know how hard it is to have Dad think you're so great at something." Ziva said in a high pitched voice

"Yeah, that must suck." Abby said with a feeling of jealousy as she tossed another glass of water on Ziva

"I'm awake!" Ziva yelled, disoriented

"Now we have to make it look like you've been playing soccer, so I'm gonna have to roll you around on the lawn a little bit." Abby said, getting Ziva out of the dress and into her soccer uniform

* * *

"Okay, they're in the kitchen. I'm gonna keep them distracted. All you need to do is go upstairs and go to bed, okay?" Abby said as she dashed in,

"Okay." Ziva said hobbling to the stairs

"Guys, I wanna tell you about choir! Guess what? Guess what? I got a solo!" Abby said turning her parents to face her

"Oh, that's great, honey." Jenny said encouragingly

"So you wanna let me sing it for you? Oh, wait, we should do it in the garage. It has better acoustics." Abby said, throwing the side door open

"mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi," Abby started as a thump was heard

"What was that?" Jenny asked, hurrying to the living room

"Did you fall down?" Gibbs asked as he tried to help Ziva up

"I'm fine, Dad. Just get out of my room." Ziva said with an exaggerated hand movement

"How much has she had to drink?" Gibbs asked finally

"Just a few Tequila poppers." Abby said with a shrug

"Tequila? Seriously? " Jenny cried, trying to put Ziva's arm around her shoulder, supporting her

"You're quitting soccer, you're drinking? What are you thinking?!" Gibbs yelled

"Okay, what was the first question?" Ziva asked with sway

"You're not gonna get any answers out of her tonight. We'll deal with this tomorrow morning." Jenny ordered, getting Ziva upstairs

"Your room's gonna be spinning a bit, but it'll slow down by the time you get out of there in four months!" Gibbs yelled from the front door

"You take your sister out and you get her drunk?" Gibbs said, turning his attention toward Abby

"What? No!" Abby yelled defensively

"Don't lie to me." Gibbs said dangerously

"I'm not lying!" Abby screamed

"She's telling the truth, Dad. She wasn't even there." Ziva coughed

"You don't need to cover for your sister." Gibbs told Ziva

"I'm not. She's covering for me. It was all my fault. Bathroom." Ziva said to Jenny

"What?"

"Bathroom!" Ziva said as she clutched her tummy

"You see? All I did was try to help. She's obviously acting out because you forced her to play soccer, and she hates it." Abby lectured

"I'm not in the habit of letting my daughters just quit stuff - because it gets tough." Gibbs responded

"Okay, well, how about when you let me quit, uh, saxophone, dance class, uh, typing, ice skating," Abby asked, hurt showing in her eyes, "You don't believe in me like you believe in Ziva, so you let me quit stuff all the time."

"You could quit yelling at me. I'll let you do that." Gibbs retorted, his blue eyes narrowing

"Ziva so much as mentions quitting soccer, and you act like it's the end of the world. But I had to leave choir early tonight to go and help her, and I might lose my solo! But you could care less!" Abby said running upstairs, leaving Gibbs shocked still.

* * *

"Morning, honey." Jenny said as she peeked in on a sleeping Ziva

"Mommy, I'm so sick." Ziva whined, holding her pillow tightly

"You know what, Ziver? You really let me down. And I was actually on your side with this whole soccer thing." Jenny said walking in to yank open the curtains

"Really? Does that mean I can quit?" Ziva said covering her face with her pillow as the sunlight streamed in

"No way. This little stunt convinced me that you are not ready to make decisions for yourself." Jenny said as she pulled away the covers," Oh, good, you're still in your uniform, 'cause you got a game in an hour."

"But I have a hangover." Ziva said, trying to sit up

"Yeah, that's gonna suck." Jenny said as she exited the room

* * *

"Was I a bad influence on the coffee machine, too?" Abby asked coldly as Gibbs muttered over the coffee machine

"What happened last night was way out of line." Gibbs said finally

"Dad, Ziva told you it wasn't my fault." Abby said in exasperation

"I meant me." Gibbs said taking a sip of coffee

"I'm confused. Are you admitting you made a mistake?" Abby asked as she turned to stare in surprise

"Don't get used to it. It's not gonna happen again. Honey, I really appreciate you trying to help your sister last night." Gibbs said moving closer to Abby, "I believe in you just as much as I believe in Ziva. It's just that the things you're good at really aren't in my wheelhouse."

"Do you mean like being beautiful and socially graceful and fashionable, with a kind of radiant star quality?" Abby asked leaning into his one armed hug

"Yeah. You're very confident, and sometimes I forget that you need encouragement. Well, I'm gonna push you just as hard as I do Ziva." Gibbs said with a grin, "And you're not gonna quit that show choir. When do you do that solo?

"In a couple months." Abby announced happily

"I will be there." Gibbs said kissing the top of her forehead, happy that once again all was good.

**12 May 2017**


	20. Chapter 20

"Hey." Jenny said as she entered the house to find Gibbs bent over the stove, stirring a pot

"Hey, dinner's almost ready." Gibbs said looking up

"What is it?" Jenny asked walking over

"My four bacon and bean soup." Gibbs said as he leaned forward to inhale the wafting flavour rich scent

"I thought you made a three-bacon-bean soup." Jenny said in confusion as she stripped off her coat and placed Andy on the counter, her hands supporting his head

"I found more bacon," Gibbs said with a shrug as he tried making animated conversation with his son

"Hope you didn't make too much Abby's at school and Ziva is going out with her boyfriend." Jenny said as a loud honk sounded repeatedly

"And that would be the boyfriend." Jenny said with disdain as she scooped up her son once more

"Better get used to that noise. You're gonna be hearing plenty of that later on." Gibbs joked as he moved the pot of the hot stove plate and followed his wife into the living room

"Going out! Be back early! Love you! Bye!" Ziva said as she sprinted down the stairs and out the front door, giving Jenny whiplash

"You know, I have never seen her move so fast." Jenny commented, making herself comfortable on the couch

"Well, maybe he doesn't stop the car. She needs a running start." Gibbs said as he made his way to the master bedroom.

* * *

"What have you been doing up there?" Jenny asked as Gibbs appeared in the living room once more

"Honey, only ask questions that you really want the answers to." Gibbs said with a smirk as he came to sit beside Jenny.

"Is Ziva home from her date yet?" Gibbs questioned, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the clock that was mounted onto the kitchen wall, which read 19:00

"Only ask questions you really want the answers to." Jenny repeated as she leaned into him just a little, "You know what, honey? I like that Ziva has a real boyfriend."

"How come he never comes to the door? Just sits out there in the street, honks his horn." Gibbs said irritably before taking deep breaths, "I just got to let this go. By next week, she'll be onto something else."

"Mm, oh, I think she'll still be interested in boys." Jenny said with a slight teasing edge in her voice

"Yeah, but she'll be doing that Junior ROTC skills competition, chasing around boys with a bayonet." Gibbs said happily

"That's what I wish she would focus less on, all this Junior ROTC stuff." Jenny said with a sigh

"It taught her discipline, might get a free ride to college. But you're right. She should concentrate more on video games and weed." Gibbs said shortly as he made an attempt to rise from the couch

"I guess what I really like about Ziva dating is it finally give the two of us something to bond over." Jenny said softly

"Is this your way of telling me that you're seeing somebody else?" Gibbs asked with a raised eyebrow, his blue eyes flashing with enjoyment

"Like I'd ever tell you about Roy." Jenny said, putting a hand over her heart, "Oh, just I'm talking about boyfriends in general. Now Ziva and I, we can have heart-to-hearts about romance and what it means to be a woman."

"Best-case scenario, this thing fizzles out. Even better yet, the boy breaks her heart and Ziva never dates again' Gibbs said with a nod as he climbed the stairs once more

"I'll be up in a few minutes," Jenny said as she passed Andy to his father. The boy was fast asleep and Jenny enjoyed just having him close.

"Yeah, I'm still full from dinner, so don't expect too much." Gibbs said cradling Andy as he took the stairs two at a time.

"I ate the soup, too, so you're off the hook." Jenny whisper yelled after him

"Oh, hey, Ziva." Jenny greeted as her teenage daughter flung the door open

"Good night, Mom! Got a lot of homework to do!" Ziva said hurriedly, making for the stairs once more

"Wait! H-how was the date? Don't you want to talk about it?"

"Uh, yeah, I do. I was just gonna go call Sammy," Ziva said, indicating the phone in her hand

"Wait, Ziver, honey. I just I want you to know that you can tell me anything. You're almost a woman now." Jenny started as Ziva scrunched up her face into a cross between bored and sickened.

"Mom, there is something I've been wanting to talk about, but I just don't want Abby and Kate to know 'cause they'll just tease me about it." Ziva said as she leaned against the stairs

"Don't you worry, honey. Consider this the first of many secrets you and I will share together." Jenny said chirpily

* * *

"Ziva just got home from her date, and I have got the scoop on Rivkin." Jenny announced as she shut the bedroom door behind her.

"You know, a lot of people sing the praises of Shakespeare, but I don't think they ever read a Bob Ludlum book." Gibbs said barely looking up from his night time reading

"Don't you want to hear about Ziva?" Jenny asked as she came to sit next to Gibbs almost disappointed

"Not particularly." Gibbs said with a pained look

"Well, she and I just had a nice little chat, the kind that only mothers and daughters have. I found out some very interesting information." Jenny said a smile forming, "Yep, I think that you'll be happy to know that their relationship seems very innocent. And Ziva told me that Rivkin is super religious."

"What do you mean, like he goes to church even on Football Sunday?" Gibbs asked, putting the book down

"He signed a "purity pledge" at his church, which means that he won't fool around until after he's married." Jenny explained

"I-I'm aware of what that means." Gibbs said with a frown

"Come on, Jethro. I mean, Junior ROTC, purity pledge. This guy, he's like the perfect boyfriend." Jenny said as she hopped under the covers

"That's comforting to know that if he fools around with Ziva that God will smite him." Gibbs said finally

"Feels like a shame to get smited for being smitten." Jenny said with a ridiculous grin

"You know, we're talking about our kid's virtue here. Maybe you should take this more seriously. What kind of a teenage boy takes a purity pledge?" Gibbs demanded of his wife

"A nice one?" Jenny said as if it were obvious

"I've heard of them. They live with the Easter bunny and Sasquatch. That's who they are. I don't trust this kid. He's after our daughter, and I'm just gonna keep an eye on this." Gibbs said, his sniper rifle making an appearance in his thoughts before he shut off the lights

"Well, luckily, Ziva and I have a cool bond now where we confide in each other, so we're a great team." Jenny boasted as she turned her back and tried to get comfortably

* * *

"I wish I was going with you, Ziva. Camping is fun." Kate said as she folded laundry

"Only if it's on the sidewalk the night before the new gadget gets released." Abby said, grabbing herself a bowl of cereal

"Well, this is not about "fun," ladies. We're not twisting dandelions into friendship bracelets here. This is the Junior ROTC military skills competition. This is every girl's dream, okay? Water-can relay, log carrying race, and just when you're about to cough up a lung, there's the gauntlet." Ziva said as she packed everything into her duffel bag

"My dream is getting to sleep in till 8:00 on a Saturday." Kate said as she yawned

"Wow, both of your dreams make me want to cry." Abby said as she grabbed a seat at the table

"Well, I'll be making all the boys cry when I win Top Shooter. Better make room in my duffel for the trophy I'm bringing home." Ziva said as she cleared out a space

"Hold up. So, there's guys going along on this little sleepover?" Abby asked as she looked up

"Well, I'm going with an elite team selected from my squad." Ziva said with a shrug as she continued her packing

"How does Rivkin feel about you being out there in the woods running around with all those muscular hotties in tight-fitting uniforms?" Abby asked with a smirk

"Okay, well, Rivkin will be there, too." Ziva said matter of factly

"Your boyfriend is going with you?" Kate asked, her laundry long since forgotten

"Okay, yeah, but it's no big deal, because we're just going as teammates this weekend. And he better not drop the water can in the relay, 'cause he'll be taking his sister to prom." Ziva said dangerously, thinking of her boyfriend if he dared to be the reason they lost.

"Wait. You need to explain all this to Mom and Dad before you go." Kate said firmly

"Explain what to us?" Gibbs asked as he and Jenny entered the kitchen

"Ziva, what's, uh what's going on? Uh, honey, you know uh, you know you can tell me anything, right?" Jenny said creepily as she followed her daughter into the living room, Gibbs right behind her

"Ziva, they're gonna find out eventually," Abby yelled from the kitchen

"Boy, there's words every parent loves to hear. What's going on?" Gibbs asked as her held Ziva by the shoulders

"Rivkin made the team, and he's going on the camping trip this weekend. Everybody happy now?" Ziva snapped

"Oh, I've been happier." Gibbs said, with a scowl

"Ziver, this, uh this changes things a lot." Jenny said evenly

"We've never met this kid. He won't even come to the front door. No way am I letting you go away for the weekend with him! No." Gibbs said as she stepped aside

"What?! T-that's insane! I've been training for a year. I have to go." Ziva said angrily

"I can't believe you guys don't trust me." Ziva yelled as she stormed to the den

"You're not old enough to go on a sleepover with Mr Purity pledge." Gibbs said as he entered the den after her

"You told him?" Ziva asked in borderline fury

"Yeah, and I'm not buying it. A purity pledge is one step below a pinky swear." Gibbs continued

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to tell you anything, Mom!" Ziva yelled as she headed for her room

* * *

"Go away." Ziva cried when Kate knocked at the door

"Thanks a lot for telling Mom and Dad about Rivkin." Ziva said sarcastically when Kate entered

"It would've been much worse if they've found out after." Kate said flatly

"How about my plan where they never find out. How about we give that a try. Oh wait. Too late." Ziva said, sarcasm dripping from every word

"Look, I know you are really mad at Mom and Dad right now." Kate tried

"And you. Let's not forget you." Ziva emphasised

"You know, we all are looking out for your best interest." Kate said, taking a seat on Ziva's bed

"So it's in my best interest to be punished because you and Abby are both giant tramps who slept around?" Ziva asked ferociously

"I never slept around, okay? I had a kid. And I haven't slept since. But you're right. I made some mistakes, which is why I want you to be safe." Kate said, as her sister stormed around, "You know if I were you,"

"You're not me! Okay?! If you were going this weekend, it would be to hook up with your boyfriend. But I was going because I trained for a year and I wanted to kick the other squads' ass!" Ziva yelled

"So, you don't even care that Rivkin is gonna be there?" Kate asked in despair

"No, I'm actually kind of annoyed that he's going. He's not that good. And he'll just embarrass me in front of the guys. He made the team, like, two days ago because some other kid got hurt when he tripped" Ziva said annoyed, "over Rivkin."

"Wait, so, all of this wasn't just an excuse for you guys to have some alone time together?" Kate asked in shock

"Hello! Both of our parents work. I get out of school at 3:00. If we wanted to, we could have had two kids and a cat by now." Ziva said with a raised eyebrow that reminded Kate of her father

"I'm sorry. I guess this really is my fault. I just, you know, I assumed that you were doing what I would have done." Kate said, guilt eating away at her

"Why would I ever do that? When I talk about you to my friends, I always call you the cautionary tale." Ziva retorted, escorting Kate out

* * *

"Mom. Dad. Uh, I just had a nice talk with Ziva." Kate announced as she came into the den, "Listen, I don't think you have to worry about letting her go on this trip."

"Because she's not going. Keep up with the current events!" Gibbs said firmly

"Okay, that's a mistake. Ziva shouldn't have to pay for the stuff that I did in high school, or Abby. Ziva's a better kid than either of us were. We would have been out that bedroom window a half an hour ago." Kate lectured

"That was kind of your go-to move." Jenny said with a half-smile

"But it isn't Ziva's, and she's the best climber of the three of us." Kate said with an empty stare

"But wait. She misled us. All this time, she knew her boyfriend was going, and she kept it from us?" Jenny said, hoping Kate had an answer

"She just found out Rivkin was going. She didn't mislead you. Really, I think you guys should reconsider." Kate said as she left

"Honey, are we making a mistake? I mean, all this time, we've been focusing on whether we could trust this boy, and we forgot that we can trust Ziva." Jenny said in desperation, "Where are you going?"

"To tell Ziva she can go," Gibbs said obviously

"Oh, she's gone!" Jenny exclaimed, "And she took her bag! Oh, no! She followed her sisters out the window."

* * *

"Dad." Ziva exclaimed as the truck's headlights shone, trapping her in its glow

"Hey, there. I don't think that hole's big enough for two." Gibbs said as he came around the bush to see Ziva at work with a shovel, "Where's your boyfriend?"

"In the infirmary. He sprained his ankle putting up his tent." Ziva said in disgust

"There's officer material. Why did you think it was okay to leave when your mom and I said you couldn't?" Gibbs asked

"I had to come. We have a real shot at winning this weekend, and they won't without me." Ziva tried to convince her father

"So you snuck away with your boyfriend?" Gibbs stated

"I didn't sneak away with my boyfriend." Ziva declared vehemently

"How'd you get here?"

"My boyfriend."

"But we've barely seen each other since, and we've been doing separate drills all day. And then he got hurt. And then I laughed. And then he got the other kind of hurt." Ziva relayed

"I don't need to hear this stuff. I just want you to pack up your gear and get in the truck. Let's go." Gibbs commanded

"I'm not leaving, Dad."

"What do you mean, you're not leaving? What the hell's the matter with you?!" Gibbs asked frustrated

"What's the matter with you?! Since when did you stop trusting me?" Ziva demanded

"I gave you an order, and you defied it. That's breaking the chain of command. You above everybody should know that means something." Gibbs said

"Yes, sir." Ziva called out

"You can't just obey orders that you agree with. A soldier has to submit to authority." Gibbs advised

"Even when that authority might have misjudged the situation and you think they're wrong?" Ziva asked with a smirk

"Yes," Gibbs said through clenched teeth

"So, you're admitting that you misjudged the situation?" Ziva asked happily

"A commander is only as good as his Intel. Now, are you gonna march to this truck like a soldier, or do I got to carry you like a crying little girl?"

"I'll go like a soldier."

"Go tell your commander what's going on here." Gibbs ordered

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Did you talk to your commander?" Gibbs asked when Ziva came back

"He's real disappointed, but I couldn't tell if it was because I'm supposed to run anchor in the relay tomorrow or his life didn't turn out the way he'd hoped." Ziva said with a shake of her head

"Is that yours?" Gibbs asked as his eyes fell on a gleaming piece of metal In her duffel

"Yeah. I won Top Shooter. Wasn't even close. Dad, I'm really sorry that I let you down. I just didn't want to let down my squad, and it's important that a soldier can count on his brothers. And sisters." Ziva said making the trek to the truck

"Yeah. And there's some more bad news. I driving up here, I think I was basically driving on fumes. I don't think I have enough gas to get back." Gibbs said as he sat on a tree stump

"So, we're stuck here until tomorrow." Ziva said, her eyes twinkling

"Yes. As long as we're here and staying, you might as well just hang out with your squad and, you know, do your drills." Gibbs said, trying to make it sound accidental

"Yep, might as well."

"And since I'm staying the night, I can watch you do the relay tomorrow. All I'll be here tonight, just hanging out. You never know where I'm gonna be, watching everything." Gibbs said as he stood up

"Thanks, Dad." Ziva said, moving closer

"Is this Rivkin a good guy?" Gibbs asked, wrapping an arm around her

"He's okay. I'm pretty sure I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him." Ziva said snarkily

"Something he and I might have in common." Gibbs said with a kiss to her forehead

**02 September 2017**


	21. Chapter 21

"Halloween is so fun. I just love seeing all the little superheroes before they can pronounce their Ethethes." Jenny said as she carried in the plastic trunk of Halloween decorations.

"I'm Thuperman, and my Thithter's name ith Thpider-man." Abby said cheerily

"Good morning, lovely ladies." Gibbs said as he entered the kitchen with a chuckle

"Don't you mean, Ghoul morning?" Jenny said raising her voice to a spooky tone

"Why didn't I walk straight to the car?" Gibbs muttered with a face palm

"Honey, listen. I'm gonna need you to come home a little early. I can't decorate all by myself, and the girls have plans." Jenny instructed as she sorted through the decorations

"I'm going to the range to shoot at stuff, and they're gonna dress up the targets to look like werewolves." Ziva filled in enthusiastically

"Before they transform or after they transform?" Gibbs asked slyly, "'Cause before they transform, you're actually shooting people."

"Sometimes I hate Halloween. Why don't we just skip it? Andy is too young to understand it anyway," Gibbs said with a sigh, directing his question to Jenny

"No, we are doing Halloween, Gibbs, and do you know why?" Jenny asked with her hands on her hips

"Girls, you're gonna see a rare event here I'm gonna lose an argument 'cause your mom is holding the Halloween trump card," Gibbs said with a pause, "Eric."

"That's right, and we love our grandson. So as long as Eric is coming to this house, we are gonna scare the hell out of him," Jenny said authoritatively

"You got me, there. As long as he's coming to this house." Gibbs repeated

"Why did you repeat what I just said?" Jenny asked with a glare

"I talked to Daniel. He's not letting Eric come to this house." Gibbs said with a shrug

"What? Why not?" Jenny demanded

"Daniel is taking Eric to some Fall Kiddie Festival. I don't know." Gibbs said trailing off

"No, no. Even if Eric isn't coming, it is still Halloween. And we can give out candy to kids in their cute little costumes and see the excitement on their little faces." Jenny tried desperately

"Mom, it's over." Abby ground out

"Have some dignity." Ziva said as she left the kitchen

"Tonight's a perfect night to watch a different game the Michigan Wolverines play the Minnesota Golden Gophers." Gibbs said with a grin

"But I already bought all the candy." Jenny exclaimed

"Well, just give it to dad. He steals the good stuff and hides it anyway." Ziva yelled accusingly

"You can't steal stuff that you pay for." Gibbs retorted

"What happened to you? You used to love dressing up and scaring the trick-or-treaters and now this." Jenny said with a huff

"What?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow

"I'm sorry, I'm just not ready for my husband to turn into some grumpy old man." Jenny said with a look of horror

"I don't think it makes me a grumpy old man because I don't like a bunch of damn kids trampling over through my yard." Gibbs said firmly as he left for work

* * *

"Pacci, please tell me these guys in costume aren't agents. I don't want them interviewing suspects with hatchets in their heads," Gibbs said as he rounded the corner, coffee cup present in his hand

"I told everyone no costumes. I already sent the Flash home to change, which was over an hour ago, so I guess he broke character." Pacci said, with a glance at his wrist watch

"I do not like to see our agents in costume." Gibbs said with a shake of his head

"Couldn't agree more, Jethro. You know, but if, uh, one of our agents, like say, I don't know, Daniel, were to come in costume, we could let it slide, right?" Daniel asked, as he came into view dressed as Mike Franks, down to the grey hair and untamed facial hair,

"Well, I suppose we're going to have to." Gibbs said in annoyance

"By the way, Gibbs, love the stats. Another home run." Daniel said in a scratchy voice, quite unlike his own

"We haven't posted it yet, Daniel." Pacci said with a laugh

"Oh, I guess I only thought you had 'cause I'm old. Isn't that what you're always saying about me?" Daniel said, as he pulled a pipe out of his pocket

"Because you _**are**_ old." Pacci said with emphasis

"Yep, I'm old. So I just smile like the proud man I am never showing my true feelings, never letting anyone in, which is kind of sad when you think about it, so I don't. And the cycle continues." Daniel said seriously

"Mike actually did stop by. He is going to be working under you for two weeks while he processes out." Pacci informed the new team leader

"Uh, when and if Mike sees this, we may have an agent with a hatchet in his head." Gibbs said seriously

"What are you talking about?" Daniel asked in confusion

"I don't think Mike's gonna think this is all that funny." Gibbs said with a wince

"Oh, I don't know. I-I think he'll see past the silly beard and the silly hair and see it for what it is. A loving tribute to a great man." Daniel said with confidence

"I don't know. If it were me, I'd punch you in the face." Gibbs said with a shrug

"What do we have here? D-d-d-don't tell me. Don't tell me." Mike said cheerfully as he descended from the Director's office, "A zombie, huh? You're one of those things that were dead, but then it comes back to life and still looks like it's dead."

"Nope. I'm not a zombie." Daniel said shaking his head, "I'm actually…"

"Don't tell him. Don't tell him. Don't tell him." Gibbs said in a frantic whisper

"I'm you." Daniel finished, ignoring the warning

"Me? That's supposed to be me?" Mike asked taking a step back, "I love it. Look at that."

Daniel beamed happily and shot an 'I told you so' look at Gibbs.

* * *

"I got it." Gibbs called as the doorbell rang:

"Hey, Tobias." Gibbs greeted

"Hey, trick-or-treat."

"Honey, it's our first trick-or-treater." Gibbs called jokingly

"I'm gonna leave this candy with you. It's laced with cocaine. It's from a gang I busted but I can't go to the Hoover building so if you could hold on to that," Tobias asked, stepping in

"I'll put it in my gun safe." Gibbs agreed

"See you're getting ready for the big night. Diane's pretty excited, too." Tobias said as Jenny came into view

"I know, I know. We're both gonna be witches." Jenny said happily

"Oh, so no costumes this year?" Gibbs asked with a sparkle

"Oh, come on, Tobias. Don't you want to dress up? Take Emily trick or treating," Jenny asked in shock

"Emily and Ziva are going out to the range. I'm a grown man! I just want to put on my Gopher head and watch Minnesota beat the hell out of Michigan." Tobias said as he grabbed a seat in the living room

"You are a Minnesota fan. We should watch the game together. I'd love to see a Gopher cry." Gibbs said, joining his buddy

"Well, you're not watching it here. This house is doing Halloween." Jenny said with a pointed glare at both of them

"My place then." Tobias said as he stood to leave

* * *

"This is your reward for making it through the gauntlet of horror." Jenny said eerily as she handed out candy

"We were going to make it a lot scarier, but we didn't want to frighten the really little kids and we opened the wine." Diane said to a little girl, "Sorry magic potion."

"Ah, did you see the excitement on all their little faces?" Jenny asked as she shut the door, "I mean, what could possibly be better than this?"

"College football game, according to our husbands." Diane said with a frown

"You know, two grown men sitting alone in a dark room. It just seems so sad." Jenny said with sigh," At least they offered to keep Andy,"

"Well, I can't say I didn't see this coming. I mean, Tobias never wants to do anything new. I tried to sign us up for cooking class, swing dance." Diane said as she poured more wine

"You know, Gibbs has become pretty set in his ways, too. For example, in the bedroom.." Jenny was cut off

"Oh, my God. Stop." Diane said as her eyes widened

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I meant, uh, the decorating. He freaked out when he saw it was different." Jenny clarified, "Yeah, but just so you know, the other bedroom stuff got no complaints."

"If we gonna talk about that bedroom stuff, I'm going to need some more magic potion." Diane said with a giggle

"I don't know, Diane. What are we gonna do? This can't be the way things are for the rest of our lives." Jenny said as the wheels began to turn

* * *

"Yeah, this is how it should be for the rest of our lives Cold beer, good football game, a neighbour who I'm neutral about," Gibbs said as he relaxed, Andy on his lap, sprawled against his father's chest

"Yeah, I think it's great we've reached an age where we can simplify." Tobias said as he grabbed himself a beer

"My wife doesn't get that. For instance, in the bedroom," Gibbs started

"Time out, brother." Tobias complained

"I mean, when I got back from a week long case, she changed everything in the bedroom." Gibbs said as if Tobias were crazy

"Diane signed us up for cooking classes." Tobias scoffed, "I'd have gone, too, except then I'd know how to cook and there goes a perfectly good excuse."

"Did you order more pizza?" Tobias asked as the doorbell rang a few times

"No, but you know what? I was thinking about it. Maybe these smartphones are getting too smart." Gibbs said with a smirk

"We've got a line of trick-or-treaters out there. Someone covered my porch with Jack-o'-lanterns." Tobias said in shock as he peeked out from behind a curtain

"It was the wives." Gibbs and Fornell said in unison

The doorbell continued ringing

"Don't open that door. You you'll unleash a hell storm of little Disney characters and Batmans. You will not be able to control it." Gibbs warned

Tobias chose to ignore his good friend who had lay Andy on the couch and sprang up before Tobias opened the door.

"Trick or treat." The kids yelled before the boy at the front made conversation, "The ladies across the street said you were giving out the good stuff."

"They did, did they? You know what? They're right." Tobias said as he quickly scoped out the area," World's greatest mom. Here you go." Tobias said as he dumped the mug into the kid's bag, "And, uh, oh! Yeah, enjoy that women today magazine, tiny nerd."

"I see what we're doing. Is this the wife's?" Gibbs asked, holding up a framed certificate

"Oh, not anymore." Tobias said with a shrug

"Well, look at that. Now you got a master's degree from Howard University." Gibbs congratulated as he handed the item to a little girl

* * *

"I did such a good job on your makeup! I could get a job working in Hollywood, you know, if they ever make a movie about Mike." Kate cheered as Daniel took Eric out, dressed as Mike

"Makeup? I don't know what you're talking about, little lady." Daniel said resuming his scratchy voice as he leaned in to kiss her

"Ugh! No, no, no. I don't want you to kiss me when you look like that." Kate said as she pushed him away, "I would feel like I was cheating on you with future you. And I don't want future you to be into young chicks."

"Yeah, but y-you know it's just me." Daniel said in his normal voice

"Yeah, my ears do, but my eyes don't and I hate it when they get confused." Kate said with enjoyment, "It's like when I see that movie with Superman and I keep thinking I hear my dad's voice."

"That was a brilliant idea, Diane. Sending those trick-or-treaters over to the guys." Jenny laughed

"Thank you." Diane said graciously

"Hmm, you know, it's been pretty quiet. I wonder where all those trick-or-treaters are." Jenny said as she rose to peep out the window

"Well, maybe it's too important to you. You know, kids can smell desperation." Diane joked

"There are plenty of kids out there, but they're just walking by." Jenny said in his surprise as they dashed out

"Uh, this has Tobias written all over it." Diane muttered as they found a board reading 'Beware of Wolf', along with a great big hound, that was Tobias and Diane's pet

"This is actually a great thing. Our husbands fired back." Jenny said as they untied the dog

"Hey, maybe they're not dead inside." Diane said finally as they went back into the house, with the dog

* * *

"Hey Tobias, you might want to watch this." Gibbs said, pointing to the screen

"Man, you're on the 6-yard line, about to score. Why would I want to see that?" Tobias groaned

"So you can see what it looks like when I'm happy." Gibbs retorted as he tried to get Andy to react

"Here we go. Quick shovel pass and they're gonna be in there." Gibbs commented as he gauged Tobias' reaction

With a burst of static, the channel changed

"_**Ronald, I'm pregnant." The woman on screen said **_

"Why did you change the channel?" Gibbs demanded

"I didn't change the channel." Tobias said as he raised his hands

* * *

"Oh, that was perfect! You changed the channel right when the pass was in the air!" Jenny cheered

"Tobias was so condescending when he set up this phone control of the DVR. It's technology. How about you leave it to me? How about I stick it to you?" Diane ranted

* * *

"I don't know what happened, but I fixed it. Get off my back." Tobias said with a roll of his eyes

"Got another shot. Maybe just a little rollout. Watch this. "Gibbs said happily

Static crackled once more and the football game disappeared:

"_**Are you sure the baby's mine, Andrea? I will not help you raise another man's baby."**_

"For the love of God, what's happening?" Gibbs said agitated

"Please tell me you didn't tell her how to program this from her phone." Gibbs asked breaking the silence that enveloped them

"No way. It's technology. I told her to leave it to me." Tobias defended

"We should have never engaged them or got engaged to them. See how that turned out." Gibbs muttered under his breath

"Well, It's half time. We got 20 minutes to figure out how to get back at them." Tobias said as he eyed Gibbs

"What would you rather do, get back at them or enjoy the rest of the game?" Gibbs asked as he stood, Andy in his arms

* * *

"Hey, what are you guys doing back so early? Don't you want to see how the game ends or if Ronald gets back together with Andrea?" Jenny teased as Gibbs put Andy in the little baby swing

"Look, we just want to watch the game." Tobias said in defeat

"You know, you win. You win. We just want peace." Gibbs added

"Oh, everybody wants peace, honey, you know, when you're losing." Jenny said in enjoyment

"Let us finish watching the game. And next Halloween, we'll be all over it." Tobias promised

"What do you think, Diane? Should we let them off the hook?" Jenny asked, turning to her partner in crime

"I don't know." Diane said with a shrug, enjoying every moment

"Well, w-what if I sweeten the deal by saying Tobias will go dancing with you?" Gibbs said with a grin

"Done." Diane confirmed

"Hey! How'd you figure out the phone/DVR thing, anyway?" Tobias asked in curiosity

"YouTube. You better watch out. Saw a video on how to sew a grown man into a bed sheet." Diane warned as she held out her phone menacingly

"Okay, let's go, Gibbs. But be prepared my Gophers are a second-half team." Tobias said with enthusiasm

"Explains why they did so badly first half." Gibbs said condescendingly as they opened the door

"Trick or treat!" The kids yelled

"You guys need to talk to the witches." Gibbs said as he stepped aside

"Ziva, honey, we're running low on candy!" Jenny yelled as she emptied the rest of the bowl into the little bags

"Seriously? I just dumped a bag in there like five minutes ago." Ziva said, holding up the bright green bag as proof

"You used the candy from that bag?" Gibbs asked in a dangerously low voice

"Yeah, I found it in your gun safe." Ziva said as she pulled on her jacket

"Holy crap." Jenny said in astonishment

"Why were you in my gun safe?" Gibbs asked angrily

"Well, I went to the range, remember? I was putting my pistol back. Sorry I gave away your candy stash." Ziva said as she patted her father on the back

"Holy crap!" Jenny repeated

"What's the big deal?" Diane asked in confusion

"That's the candy I got from the bust." Tobias said with vivid hand movements

"It was laced with cocaine." Jenny stammered out eventually

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Ziva said as she raced up the stairs

"We gave cocaine to children. We're dealers!" Diane yelled

"Where are you going?" Gibbs asked as Jenny and Diane hurried out the open door

"We've got to get that stuff back!"

"So you're literally gonna take candy from babies." Gibbs said with a humourless laugh

"Sweetie, let me get a look inside that bag. Just a little peek!" Diane asked as she tried to wrestle it from the six year old girl

"For God's sake, give me the bag!" Jenny cried as she came to Diane's aid

"Witches are taking my candy! Witches are taking my candy!" The girl cried as she tried to regain her candy

"What are you doing with my master's diploma?" Diane asked pulling the frame out

There was a sudden wailing of sirens

"Oh, my God. Diane, uh, you do the talking. Cops make me nervous." Jenny said as sought cover behind Diane

"Hey, fellas, what can we do for you?" Gibbs asked as he walked up to the officers

"We've had some very disturbing reports about tainted candy being handed out in this area. Is this your house?" The officer asked as he looked around

"Just a misunderstanding. Nothing really was going on here." Gibbs said as he advanced

"Step back, sir."

"I'm not doing anything. I'm just explaining what's going on." Gibbs said with a glare

"You want to talk about this down at the station?" The second officer asked as her pulled handcuffs from his belt

"Aren't you guys overreacting?" Tobias asked as he came to Gibbs' rescue

"You want to go with him, sir?"

"Maybe I do!" Fornell yelled

"It was us, officer. We gave out the candy." Jenny confessed

"She's right. It was us. Mainly her." Diane said with a dazzling smile

"So your husbands had absolutely nothing to do with this?" The officer confirmed

"They were just trying to enjoy the game." Jenny said honestly

"Yes, we were just trying to enjoy the game." Gibbs said, as he hid the grin

"Wait. Why did you just repeat what I said?" Jenny asked staring at her husband in confusion

"Because you didn't do anything wrong, except mess with the wrong guys!" Gibbs said in triumph as he was released from the officer's grip with a laugh

"What?!" Diane and Jenny cried in disbelief

"That's right! W-we set up the whole thing." Tobias laughed, "These two officers work for the FBI."

"Thanks, guys." Gibbs said with a handshake

"I texted Ziva and Emily. I told them to take the candy out of the gun safe." Gibbs confessed

"Well, where is the candy now?" Jenny asked

"The candy never left the safe. You should have seen the look on your face, mom." Ziva said as she ran out to celebrate with Emily

"Priceless." Emily agreed

"Okay, fine. You got us." Jenny conceded

"But at least we got you guys off of the couch." Diane said with half-hearted glare

"And remember what you said next Halloween we go all-out." Jenny reminded

"Oh, you silly witch. Those were terms for peace! We won the war." Gibbs said with a laugh and a kiss. "Back to the game."

**31 October 2017**

_I have included a reference toward a member of the cast of NCIS. The first one to correctly guess:_

_ 1\. Who is the cast member?_  
_2\. What the reference is?_  
_And_  
_3\. Was it easy to find?_

_will have the honor of choosing a plot/story line for the next chapter._

_Good Luck!_


	22. Chapter 22

I have tried contacting Patti Lipcomb but it does not seem to be working hence I have continued with the next chapter.

"Hello, everyone." Daniel greeted as he strolled in

"Hey, Daniel!" Gibbs said as he concentrated on the cake before him

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked in absolute confusion

"It's the Great Washington DC Bake Off!" Gibbs laughed "I'm doing a pineapple cake for the contest."

Tom Morrow insisted that each team prepare one dessert for a bake- off against the FBI. Gibbs was baffled. FBI vs. NCIS contests were normal but a bake – off? Morrow even made it a condition that a video be submitted as well

"But I thought you said baking wasn't very manly?" Daniel asked as he recalled the fateful day

"It is the way I do it!" Gibbs smiled, pulling out a drill with the whisk attached. The drill whisked the creamy mixture loudly and Daniel wondered if it was a violation of health codes

"Look at that, I'm bound to win!" Gibbs said as he put the drill down, "Who wouldn't like that?"

"Rota wouldn't. She doesn't like pineapples." Daniel said, "Or cherries. Or grapefruit. Or pomegranate."

"Nobody cares what she likes." Gibbs huffed

"I suppose. Although, she is chairman of the judges." Daniel shrugged

"Maybe she'll like it with cream on. Do you want a taste?" Gibbs asked as he spooned the cream on

"I shouldn't. I'm watching my figure." Daniel answered as he patted his firm abdomen, "Kate is on another health mission,"

"Come on. It won't make you fat," Gibbs said with a grimace, glad that Kate was no longer forcing him to try tofu and salads

"Oh, go on, then!" Daniel said happily

Gibbs grabbed an electrical saw and began cutting his cake.

"Here we are!" Gibbs announced as he dumped the slice onto a waiting plate, before that table collapsed. The saw had cut through the wood too. It would make a good video though

"Side table's broken again." Gibbs said as he carried a few pieces of cake into the living room, "Do you want to try my pineapple cake?

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry." Abby groaned

"Are you OK? You don't look well." Jenny commented

"I'm fine." Abby answered as she blinked rapidly

"You were out late again." Jenny said matter of factly, "You need to meet some nicer people. More sensible. Reliable."

"You mean boring? No, thanks." Abby scoffed

"There's a Youth singles party today, at the community centre." Jenny said as she handed Abby the flyer, "It's just a chance for busy young people to get together."

"No way! Why can't you just leave me alone?" Abby demanded, "I feel sick. I'm going back to bed."

"Well, if she's not going, we'll have to go for her." Jenny said turning to Gibbs

"We?" Gibbs questioned in disbelief

"I'm not going on my own." Jenny said with pointed stare

"What about my competition?" Gibbs asked in despair

"I'll get started for you." Daniel offered, "We could make a lemon drizzle cake? That's Rota's favourite. And I can watch Andrew too,"

"What are the ingredients?" Gibbs asked professionally

"Lemons," Daniel started, "and drizzle!"

* * *

"Now, just be nice, write down their details and try not to put them off!" Jenny ordered as she handed Gibbs a clipboard

"What? How could I put them off?" Gibbs whispered in outrage but Jenny had already moved to talk with a possible suitor. Gibbs caught up with her as she greeted:

"Oh, hello Harold." Jenny said in a sickly sweet voice

"Hello." Harold greeted politely

"We are here on behalf of our daughter. Her name is Abby," Jenny explained

"That's with an A, as in "Apple of our eyes" and Gibbs. That's with a G." Jenny said helpfully as Harold jotted it down

"As in, 'Gutted is he who touches my daughter!'" Gibbs growled before Jenny gave him a disapproving stare

Gibbs and Jenny moved on for about an hour before they decided to 'interview' one last person.

"So, Isaac, can you tell us anything about yourself?" Jenny asked, her clipboard handy

Isaac shook his head in the negative

"What sort of things do you like?" Jenny asked but was once again answered with a negative head shake, "There must be something."

"Come on" Jenny encouraged

"I suppose I mainly like big boobies." Isaac said finally as he eyeballed Jenny

Gibbs saw red and landed a firm punch. Gibbs advanced further but Jenny grabbed the back of his coat and dragged him away

* * *

"Why don't you at least meet one of them?" Jenny begged

"No. Just leave me alone." Abby sighed

"She won't even meet them." Jenny complained as Gibbs entered, "Tell her how nice they were."

"That bunch of lemons! None of them were suitable!" Gibbs said furiously his mind wandering back to Isaac

"I'm not going out with some sweaty football obsessed jock!" Abby said in frustration as Jenny shoved the clipboard in her face

"They're not all like that. Look, this one is basketball obsessed." Jenny pointed out

"I'm going to my room." Abby said finally as she stormed up the stairs

"What's going on?" Kate asked as she was nearly steam rolled by Abby. Kate handed Andrew to Jenny

"Your sister's upset because your mother wants her to be friends with some jocks." Gibbs answered flippantly

"Why don't you just leave her alone?" Kate asked with a shrug

"She's fine. Isn't she, Kate?"

"'Course she is! Anyway, she's already got a boyfriend." Kate said, grimacing when she realised that it was supposed to be a secret.

Jenny was engaged in playing with Andrew and seemed to freeze, almost letting the boy fall, "She's got a boyfriend?!"

"Kate, Abby hasn't got a boyfriend," Gibbs said as if it were obvious, "She doesn't even talk to boys anymore! Especially after the whole Michael incident,"

Michael's mother had once again mad scalding remarks, which Abby overheard. When Michael failed to take her part, Abby had broken it off. For weeks Michael begged and pleaded by stalking her around town. Finally Gibbs and Daniel had taken action, professionally of course.

"Oh, my God! It's probably some big, smelly biker covered in tattoos!" Jenny said flustered

"Sweetie, you're over reacting. Abby is a good girl. I'm sure this is all very innocent." Gibbs pacified as he looked to Kate to back him up.

"Oh yeah, Scar is great," Kate said faithfully, "What's greater is the drinks he makes," Kate said under her breath as she took her brother into her arms

"Oh good lord, he is a bartender named Scar!" Jenny said on the brink of a meltdown

"I'm going to take Eric and Drew swimming!" Kate said, making a hasty escape

"Someone is just going to have to go to him and tell this guy to stop seeing Abby." Jenny decided firmly as she eyed her husband

"But it is dangerous! Without armoured support vehicles it'll be suicide!" Gibbs whined, really not wanting to get caught in the middle

"Take someone with you, then!" Jenny snapped

"Where am I going to find somebody to come with me?" Gibbs muttered but looked toward the hasty footsteps eagerly

"I can't find a recipe for drizzle!" Daniel announced as he frowned at the smartphone in dismay

"Daniel, fancy a pint?" Gibbs asked jovially

* * *

"Maybe I should wait in the car?" Daniel suggested as the rock music blaring from the shoddy building hurt his ears

"Daniel! I need you!" Gibbs exclaimed as he slapped the back of Daniel's head.

The two entered the joint drawing a few curious and some seething glares. After enquiring from a bartender, they found their way to Scar

"Now, listen to me, you and I need to have little chit chat." Gibbs said authoratively

"Yeah, of course! May I just say what an absolute honour it is to meet you, Sir," The young man said.

Gibbs looked taken aback. The kid looked nothing like what he imagined. Slightly chubby with green eyes and a naïve feel, the name Scar made no sense.

"Abby's told me all about you." He continued, a smile lighting up his features

"Has she now?" Gibbs questioned

"Oh, yes. You are a legend in Washington DC." The boy gushed

"Now, are you or are you not Abby's boyfriend?" Daniel jumped in

"Yes, I am her boyfriend. I mean, we like each other and we hang out together. With other people though, cos obviously I know it's a sensitive area." Scar said happily, knowing that any father would be happy with his thoughts

"OK, I've heard enough. You can't see Abby anymore." Gibbs said abruptly

"What? Why?" The boy asked distraught

"Because Jenny told…" Daniel started but Gibbs silenced pretty quickly

"Well, we should probably be going." Gibbs said with a slight nod

"Look, Gibbs, if I could maybe come home with you? Speak to Jenny?" Scar pleaded, " I do like Abby ever such a lot."

"No! Look, you seem like a nice boy, but I haven't got time for this; I've got to get to work out how to make a Lemon drizzle cake." Gibbs said with a slight chuckle

"Oh, it's easy. It's just milk, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and lemons. But you only use the zest." Scar replied effortlessly

"Meet me at my house at four o'clock." Gibbs ordered as he walked away

* * *

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Look at this!" Jenny said as she bounced anxiously

"Yes, so?" Gibbs questioned in wonder

"It's a pregnancy test." Jenny stated

Gibbs simply looked as if he were not getting the point of this discussion

"It's positive!" Jenny said with a sharp smack to his shoulder

"We're having another baby?!" Gibbs asked in disbelief

"It's not mine, you fool! I found it in the bathroom." Jenny said starting to become frustrated at her husband. Gibbs' gaze immediately fell to Ziva who was leaning against the wall watching the scene

"Don't look at me!" Ziva cried as she glared daggers at her father who merely shrugged

"Abby," Jenny said with a concerning look

"No. It can't be." Gibbs said with conviction

"Just think about it. She's been under the weather. She's been off her food, feeling sick! And she's got that secret boyfriend!" Jenny listed

"I don't believe it!" Gibbs said with a shake of his head

"You better believe it!" Jenny growled as she shook the stick wildly

"Not my sweet Abby! She would have told me, she always tells me everything." Gibbs defended

"Right, then you can go and ask her." Jenny said as she shoved him toward the stairs

"What?" Gibbs said in surprise as he began the walk to Abby's room.

"So, these are my new blonde highlights, which I did with a home colouring kit in the bathroom. And here's my top tip: always dye your hair when your parents are out. Because if you get caught, it'll be embarrassing!" Abby spoke to the webcam as she did her daily blog update

"Abby? " Gibbs called softly as he knocked on the door

"Come in," Abby called

"Yeah, why not? Might as well come in and keep you company. How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked rapidly as he shifted awkwardly, "Not feeling sick at all?"

"No. That was just in the morning. I'm fine now." Abby replied as she sat up a little more and pulled the hoodie tighter

"That's good, your mother and I were wondering, is there something you might want to tell us?" Gibbs asked as he felt a strong blush creep up

"No."

"Something that may have happened recently that might be a bit embarrassing?" The blush deepened

"No."

"It's just that your mother found something in the bathroom." Gibbs changed tactics, "Is it yours? It's OK, you can tell me. I won't be mad."

"Yeah, it's mine." Abby admitted slowly, "I was going to tell you. I was just trying it out."

"How could you do this?" Gibbs cried out

"I just wanted to see what it would be like." Abby defended

"We all get curious about it, but these things have consequences." Gibbs explained

"Is it really such a big deal, though?" Abby asked

"Yes!" Gibbs declared strongly

"Only I quite like it." Abby said as she tapped her chin, "I mean I'm definitely going to do it again. Only next time, I'll probably want a different colour."

Gibbs turned and stormed out of the room closing the door with more force than necessary.

* * *

"Well? She's definitely pregnant. With the first one! " Gibbs said as he entered the living room

"What?" Jenny asked in confusion

"Well, let's just say, by the time she's finished it'll be like the Rainbow Nation around here." Gibbs said ruefully

"Do you know what this means? She'll be ruined! And what about all our hopes for her university, her career?" Jenny said frantically, recalling the first time they had went through it. Somehow it was different this time

"Did you get rid of this boy?" Jenny questioned first

"Of course. I told him never to darken our doorstep again." Gibbs agreed as the doorbell chimed

"Answer the door!" Jenny said as she glared at Gibbs who let the doorbell chime continuously

"OK, I'm going!" Gibbs said quickly as Jenny attempted to stand

"I brought your cake!" Scar said as he handed Gibbs the wrapped package, "I was thinking, maybe I could speak with Jenny?"

"Definitely not!"

"I just want to show her how much I have to give Abby." Scar begged

"You've given her enough already." Gibbs said cryptically

"Who's this?" Jenny asked as she came to investigate

"I'm the guy you probably know as Scar, A friend of Abby's." He introduced

"What's he doing here?" Jenny asked with barely concealed anger

"Gibbs invited me." Scar answered

"Sweetie, maybe we've been a little bit hasty, huh?" Gibbs tried to explain to Jenny, "Scar seems like a good boy. Maybe he is the right for Abby, after all?"

"He does seem nice! You're not at all like how I imagined." Jenny said as she took a closer look at the young man

He was well groomed, combed hair, clean clothes and not a tattoo in sight.

"How did such a nice boy like you end up being called Scar?" Jenny asked curiously as she incited him in

"Well, I needed a job and the bartending thing seemed to be the only one I could get and on my first day I tried to stop this guy from taking advantage of a girl and he broke a bottle over my head," The boy brushed his hair aside, showing the visible mark," It was a lot more noticeable and it stuck,"

"What is your name, kid?" Gibbs asked finally

"Timothy, sir. Timothy McGee,"

"Timothy suits you much better," Jenny complimented

"I have to say, you're not quite how I imagined, either." Tim said as he took a seat

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked pleasantly

"Well, the way Gibbs described you, I thought you were going to be an absolute dragon! " Tim said in relief

Jenny glared and decided that this would be settled later

"What are you doing here?" Abby asked as she came down

"Oh, hey. Your dad invited me." Tim answered with a slight nod to Gibbs

"What's going on?" Abby wondered as she stared at Gibbs and the Jenny

"We're getting to know your boyfriend." Jenny said with a small smile

"How do you know he's my boyfriend?" Abby demanded to know

"We're your parents, Abby. We instinctively know these things. Plus, Kate told us." Gibbs replied with a shrug

"We think Timmy here's very nice. Such a nice young man." Jenny affirmed

"Your mother and I forgive you." Gibbs stated

"What for?" Abby asked as she moved to survey the scene better

"She's pregnant." Jenny blurted as Tim jumped off the couch in an unsmooth clumsy gesture of shock

"What?!" Tim exclaimed

"Hold on. I'm not pregnant." Abby defended as she rubbed Tim's arm soothingly

"Yes, you are! You know, the embarrassing thing you did," Gibbs trailed off as if expecting her to recall

"You mean, dying my hair?" Abby questioned in disbelief

"I dyed my hair in the bathroom. It's black now." Abby confirmed

"But what about the morning sickness?" Jenny asked baffled

"I ate one of your practice cakes last night! It was horrible." Abby said as she poked Gibbs in the chest

"But then how do you explain that?" Gibbs pointed to the offending stick

"It's not mine." Abby said firmly

"Well, it's not mine." Jenny said with a raised hand," Andrew is the last."

"It's mine." Kate said as she entered, Daniel next to her clutching Andrew and Eric trailing behind

"I did the test round here earlier." Kate explained , "I wanted to be sure, before I told everyone!"

"I'm gonna be a dad!" Daniel exclaimed surprised

"**_You're_** having another baby?" Tim exclaimed in relief," Thank god,"

"I'm going to be a granny again!" Jenny danced happily

"Congratulations!" Gibbs whispered as he pulled Kate in for a one armed hug and patted Daniel on the back, "Oh, how about some lemon drizzle cake?"

"It's absolutely disgusting!" Ziva gagged as she sped to the bathroom

"I thought you said you could bake?" Daniel asked as he spit the cake out before his taste buds could be damaged permanently

"I never said I was any good!" Tim said with a laugh

**9 December 2017**

**Also while Patti was correct there still is one more reference which is much more subtle. If any one does find the second one, you will be naming the new addition. Good Luck!**

**Just to clarify: **  
**Ziva is 17 (Finishing high school/preparing for college)**  
**Abby is 20 (Decided to do college part time while starting up a fashion line: _Elegance)_**  
**Kate is 22 (Working at a restaurant)**  
**Daniel is 23 (NCIS Agent)**  
**Eric is 5 (Kindergarten)**  
**Andrew is 1**


	23. Chapter 23

"It's going to be so great to have everyone here." Jenny said fondly as she planned a great dinner, "We can have a proper family meal again. I can't wait!"

"Where are they?" Gibbs asked as he held Andrew's hands, trying to teach the boy to walk

"Ah, it's Kate. They're two minutes away." Jenny said as she read the text message

"Of course they're two minutes away. They're always two minutes away." Gibbs muttered, "Because they live next door!"

Tobias and Diane had been selling their house for a slightly better one up the street and Kate and Daniel had immediately put a down payment.

"Can you believe Kate and Daniel are going to be parents?" Jenny exclaimed happily

"Not really." Gibbs admitted

"And so soon after they got married. They must have really…" Jenny was cut off

"I don't want to think about it." Gibbs cried in anguish

"I wonder if they've thought of a name yet." Jenny wondered as the door was flung open and Eric burst into the living room

"Grandpa!" Eric yelled as he threw himself into Gibbs' embrace.

"Hey Andy," Eric said as he hugged the boy

"Dad, we're in trouble." Kate announced as she waddled into the living room

"I think it might be my fault." Daniel said hesitantly

"It's definitely your fault." Gibbs remarked as he stared at Kate's baby bump

"The boiler's burst." Kate stated as she settled onto the couch

"Can we stay here?" Daniel asked stupidly and Gibbs glared at him

"Sit down, put your feet up and I'll get you a nice cup of tea." Jenny offered as she brought back a cookie for Eric.

* * *

"Now let's get mummy and daddy set up in Kate's room!" Jenny directed,

"You," Jenny pointed at Gibbs, "blow up the inflatable mattress, and you," Jenny pointed to Ziva, "Get Kate's room ready."

"Why can't Kate get the room ready?" Abby whined as she continued her typing

"I'm eight-and-a-half months pregnant!" Kate exclaimed

"You don't have to go on about it. People have had babies before." Abby said with an eye roll

"You're right. I'm being selfish. You've got to text Tim." Kate said sarcastically

"Exactly!" Abby nodded in agreement

"Who are you?" Gibbs asked as he opened the door

"I'm Gabe." The man answered, "Gabe. Short for Gabriel."

"Who the heck is Gabe?" Gibbs asked from the door as he eyed the man suspiciously

"Gabe's our natural birthing partner." Kate answered loudly, "Daniel and I decided we want to have the baby as naturally as possible,"

"So, are you like a midwife?" Jenny asked Gabe when Gibbs had let him in

"A bit likes a midwife, yeah, but we provide more emotional and moral support." Gabe answered in his usual drawl

"We've got a birth plan. I'm having a birthing pool. And I'm having candles. And Daniel's done a playlist of my favourite music." Kate explained and Gibbs' eyebrow rose steadily

"I have to sort the room out for Kate." Jenny said with a pointed look toward Abby

* * *

"It must be amazing being a father." Daniel said casually as Gibbs poured them a drink

"You are already a dad." Gibbs pointed out

"I consider Eric my son in every way but it is different when I was there every step of the way. I love Eric with everything I have but I entered their lives when everything was smooth sailing. I will be there to change diapers and help Kate on sleepless night. She will have the father to help."

"And I am glad she has you Dan," Gibbs said with a pat on his back

"I want to be involved in every part. I've been to the antenatal classes. I've read all the books. I even spent a week wearing a fake bump to see what it feels like." Daniel continued

"What about when Kate was born?" Daniel wanted to know

"What about it?"

"Wasn't that a special day?" Daniel prodded

"Yes, it was. A very special day." Gibbs answered, seemingly lost in his memories

"Were you by Jenny's side, being supportive?" Daniel asked

"I was being supportive but not by her side." Gibbs stated as he took a sip

"Where were you, then?" Daniel wondered shocked that his father in law was not present

"I was on a tour," Gibbs said flippantly and Daniel immediately stopped his questioning

"Trust me, Daniel. When all that starts happening, they want you to be as far away as possible." Gibbs said with a smirk as he recalled Ziva's birth

The doorbell rang once again and Gibbs went to answer it, "Who are you?"

"Seth Shepherd. We got a delivery for next door. Will you take it?" Seth asked as he held out a box

"What is it?" Gibbs inquired

"A birthing pool. Someone's got to sign for it too." Seth said as he gave Gibbs the invoice which he signed. Seth had given the parcel to Gibbs and left.

"It's started!" Gibbs heard Daniel yell as he hauled the box in

"I'm having a baby, Dad." Kate said in shock

"We know that, Kate." Gibbs said patiently

"No, she means now. She's in labor!" Jenny said frantically

"I think baby is going to be born right here. Why don't we take Kate upstairs for a lie down? Help her relax, yeah?" Gabe said with a annoying laugh

"Come on, we'll sort out the pool," Gibbs said as he dragged a hyperventilating Daniel to the hallway

"Show me the manual." Gibbs instructed as they got to work

"I thought you said that real men don't need a manual." Daniel quoted

"Daniel, it's a birthing pool! I'm out of my comfort zone here." Gibbs said flustered as they hooked up the pump.

"I better get a blanket and some clothes from our house." Daniel suggested as Gibbs finished

"I'll come with you," Gibbs offered as the two walked out

* * *

"Maybe we don't need a birthing pool." Gibbs said apologetically

The two had taken longer than expected and the pool had burst because of being blown too much.

"Just get in there and explain it." Jenny demanded

"Why me?" Gibbs asked afraid

"Because it's your fault." Jenny growled

"We're having a bit of trouble with the birthing pool." Gibbs said softly and hesitantly

"To hell with the birthing pool! I want drugs! Get me a doctor." Kate yelled

"Kate, babe. I know the pain is bad right now, but you can control it with your breathing, yeah? It's really not so bad." Gabe said as he began breathing deeply

"How the bloody hell would you know!" Kate screamed as she grabbed his collar

"I think a massage might help, yeah? I've got some essential oils in my car. I'll just go and get them, yeah?" Gabe said as he ran

"I think we should get you to the hospital." Gibbs suggested

"No, please, Dad. I don't want to go to hospital. I want a home birth." Kate pleaded

"We'll get a doctor to come here." Gibbs said finally as he raced down.

"There's been a change to the birthing plan." Gibbs said when he knocked into Gabe outside

"What kind of change?" Gabe asked curiously

"You're not in it any more. Thank you. Goodbye." Gibbs said shortly

"But what about my oils?" Gabe stammered

"Why don't you go home and give yourself a rub?" Gibbs said before speeding off

* * *

"I'm back!" Gibbs announced gallantly

"Thank God. Have you got a doctor?" Jenny asked in relief

"So, it looks like someone's having a baby." Dr Mallard said

"Where the hell have you been? Give me some drugs!" Kate demanded

"Where do you want me?" Gibbs asked

"Outside!" Kate yelled

"Come on! You can do it! One last push!" Daniel encouraged

"Shut up!" Kate said furiously, "You are never touching me again!"

"Well?" Ziva and Abby asked simultaneously as Gibbs, Jenny and Daniel stepped out with a smile. A green squirming blanket held in Daniel's arms, an ecstatic smile and tears in his eyes.

"They're fine." Dr Mallard said as he exited the room. Kate was resting after meeting her bundle of joy

"Definitely your daughter," Dr Mallard laughed as he slapped Gibbs on the shoulder, "Congratulations,"

"Is that the baby?" Eric asked as Daniel lowered the child to his level

"Yeah, this is Baby Todd," Daniel said happily

_**16 September 2018**_

**Todd is Daniel's surname ergo Kate's new surname therefore Baby Todd. This is your last chance to find the hidden reference and choose a gender and name for Baby Todd. Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

Firstly, I am slightly disappointed that no one has found this hidden reference and I have decided that I will name Baby Todd on my own and reveal the reference too:

"_Yeah, but y-you know it's just me." Daniel said in his normal voice_

"_Yeah, my ears do, but my eyes don't and I hate it when they get confused." Kate said with enjoyment, "__**It's like when I see that movie with Superman and I keep thinking I hear my dad's voice**__."_

"_That was a brilliant idea, Diane. Sending those trick-or-treaters over to the guys." Jenny laughed_

Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs) provided the voice of Superman in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

Secondly, I was wondering if I should create a companion story to only focus on Kate, Daniel, Eric and Baby. I think that the original story is gaining too many characters which make it difficult to create depth and expansion. It is ultimately up to you guys so please share your opinions!

Thirdly, for all the super fans I am considering this hidden reference thing, so let me know if you would be interested.

* * *

"Welcome home, baby," Eric said happily as Daniel carried in the newest addition and Gibbs helped Kate down.

"We still don't know the name," Jenny huffed with a smile as she held Andrew to her chest

"Uhm," Daniel swallowed

"My husband is scared that you guys won't approve naming the baby after his family," Kate said with an eye roll and a pointed glare

"You really think that we would have a problem?" Gibbs demanded

"Well, maybe," Daniel shrugged

"You are a part of the family and you can honor a loved one in the naming of your child too," Jenny clarified and Daniel sighed in relief

"Her name is Eleanor Delilah Todd," Kate burst in finally

"Ellie!" Eric chirped happily as he dangled a toy over her head

"Hey Eric," Daniel addressed

Eric looked up to Daniel, "You are going to need to learn some karate,"

"Karate?" Eric beamed

"Yup. If the baby is even half as pretty as mommy we are going to have a problem," Daniel cooed

"What if the baby looks like Grandma?" Eric asked. Daniel and Gibbs groaned

"Then Grandpa will teach us both some sniper skills," Daniel exclaimed

"Don't worry Ellie," Eric told the baby, "If any smelly boys try to hurt you, Andy and me will make 'em eat sand,"

Andy looked in wonder at the baby and scrunched up his nose when Elli began to cry.

"Is she gonna do that a lot?" Eric asked with his hands over his ears as he tried some funny faces

"Probably," Kate answered as Daniel handed the baby to her

"Grandpa, I am staying with you," Eric said as he ran to Gibbs

Gibbs laughed as he tousled Eric's hair, "Good call,"

"We will leave you guys with Ellie," Jenny said as she watched Eric drag Gibbs out to play ball

"Thanks," Kate called as she heard he father's exaggerated squeals and Eric's hearty laughter.

"Go!" Kate said as she pushed Daniel away, "Make sure our son knows we love him,"

Daniel's face lit up and he kissed Kate and Ellie before running out to join Gibbs and Eric.

"You know, princess, I hope you have a better choice in boys than we did at first," Kate said softly, "Otherwise your grandfather, father, brother and uncle may be in jail very soon,"

Ellie just gurgled happily, safe and secure within her mother's arms.

_**17 September 2018**_


	25. Chapter 25

"Honey, what are you gawking at? Are the neighbor's dogs going at it on the front lawn again?" Gibbs asked as he caught Jenny peeking out the curtains

"Abby and Tim are makin' out." Jenny said as she turned to face Gibbs.

"Aw, I don't wanna hear this. Either way, just spray 'em both with the hose." Gibbs said as he backed into the kitchen

"Good night, Abby." Tim said shyly

"Night, Tim." Abby replied, giving him a quick peck on the lips before entering the house

"Have a nice date?" Jenny asked as she tried to look casual

"Uh-huh. Tim's such a gentleman. But I think I'm wearing him down." Abby said with a slight smile before she left Jenny.

* * *

"What was that?" Gibbs asked as he heard a slight squeak

"No, no, no. Stay in bed. Come on. It's cold." Jenny whined as she grabbed his shirt

"It's cold because of those size-9 popsicles you call feet." Gibbs grumbled as he stood up

"Oh, Gibbs, just let it go." Jenny yawned

"Someone came in through the back gate. It could be a criminal, or worse." Gibbs lectured "It's worse. It's one of your daughters crawling through the kitchen window."

"It's Abby." Gibbs confirmed

"Abby?" Jenny questioned sitting up too

"Don't need to hurry. She's stuck." Gibbs commented

"What the hell does she think she's doing? It's four hours past her curfew." Jenny exclaimed

"And she has a key." Gibbs drawled

"Oh, you know what, honey? Maybe she just snuck out to meet up with Tim." Jenny sighed "I guess there are worse guys she could be with at 3:00 a.m."

"There are no nice guys out there at 3:00 a.m." Gibbs said firmly "I know. I used to be one. They're only looking for one thing, honey."

"I seem to remember three or four things." Jenny laughed as she searched for her slippers

"This is supposed to be your job. You're supposed to deal with this stuff with the girls when it comes to this kind of thing, you know?" Gibbs said "And I'll deal with our son."

"I'll go lay down the law." Jenny said as she shut the door softly

"Oh, nice try. I know you're awake." Jenny muttered as she stopped the swinging door in time to see Abby turn over, "Honey, you're in real trouble here. You broke the most important rule."

"I know. I missed curfew." Abby agreed softly

"No. You let your dad find out." Jenny chided, "Now, look, I can't stop you from doing whatever it is you and Tim are doing in the middle of the night, but, honeys, out of respect to your father, get better at deceiving him."

"Okay. I'll try harder." Abby affirmed

"I know you will. I believe in you." Jenny reassured as she slipped out of Abby's room and made her way to her bedroom.

"You won't catch Abby coming in late anymore." Jenny announced, "And I don't think anything has happened yet with her and Tim."

"How do you know that?" Gibbs wondered

"A mom can tell." Jenny proclaimed

* * *

"Morning, sir." Tim greeted as he entered the conference room hesitantly, "It is a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Sit down." Gibbs commanded

"Thank you." Tim said politely

"Tim, uh, remember that tiny fishing pond we go to?" Daniel asked

"Yeah. It was great. I should go back there." Tim admitted

"No, you shouldn't. See, it's a bad idea to keep catching fish in the same pond." Daniel cackled

"Huh?" Tim said in confusion

"Why don't you just mix it up a little bit, huh? Take your pole elsewhere." Daniel clarified

"Why? It's a great pond. I mean, I could fish in that pond all day and all night." Tim answered truthfully

"Well, we're young." Daniel shrugged

"Tim, I need to know what you did last night with my daughter." Gibbs demanded, "And unlike Daniel, _try_ to remember who you're talking to."

"Well, let's see. Uh, we were watching TV for a while. Uh, there's a rat loose in my apartment. So my roommate got a snake to catch it. And, uh, last night, we couldn't find the snake. So now we're getting a mongoose. And because we learned our lesson, a mongoose leash." Tim rattled "Abby doesn't really like rats, snakes, or mongoose shopping on the Internet, so I took her home around 10:00."

"But she snuck back out and didn't come in until 3:00." Gibbs informed him with a raised eyebrow

"What? She texted me that she was going to bed." Tim sputtered, "Oh, God. Do you think she was out with somebody else?"

* * *

"Hey, Abby, come out here. I wanna ask you somethin'." Gibbs grunted

"You summoned me, Papa?" Abby hummed

"Where did you sneak out and go last night?" Gibbs quizzed

"Oh, I already told Mom where I was." Abby evaded

"With Tim. You were with Tim, right?" Jenny put in

"Yeah. For a while." Abby declared, "But okay then I went out dancing."

"It's funny. Tim thinks you're out with another dude, the kind of guy that only wants - three or four things from a girl." Gibbs recounted

"You said something to him?" Abby screeched before going off on a rant, "So Tim knows that I lied to him? Dad, he's gonna freak out. He's so into this whole, like, telling-the-truth thing. Thanks a lot for butting in! You probably just destroyed my entire relationship!"

"So Abby lied about going dancing?" Jenny asked as Gibbs sat back with a smirk

"Oh, yeah. I know she's lying to me when she calls me papa." Gibbs said with a laugh

"Honey, she calls you "papa" all the time." Jenny pointed out

"I know. She just created all this drama so I wouldn't come down hard on her and Tim for staying out till 3:00 a.m. It's actually kind of clever." Gibbs admitted

"All right, well, honey, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I-I really don't think they've done all that much yet." Jenny pacified

* * *

"It's genius. He thinks he broke us up. Now he won't be able to murder either of us for me being out past curfew." Abby related to Tim from the confines of her room

"Abby, I hated lying to your father. Made me feel sick to my stomach." Tim fretted

"Well, I'll make you feel all better on Friday night." Abby promised, "You, um, you still have that coupon for the Hilton Hotel?"

"Yeah," Tim answered before Abby cut the call saying that somebody was at the door.

"Well, well, well. The Hilton Hotel, huh? DC's number one bar mitzvah venue." Ziva echoed when Abby threw the door open

"I do not know what you're talking about." Abby insisted

"Bar mitzvah? It's a beautiful ritual where a boy becomes a man. Similar to what you'll be doing to Tim Friday night. I'm just curious. I get kissing and all that. But why the big rush to hook up with Tim, you know? In that way?" Ziva inquired

"Big rush? It's been three months." Abby moaned

"It's just that I've seen you throw yourself at a lot of guys, and for some reason, it never works out." Ziva mused

"Well, maybe they were the wrong guys." Abby maintained

"Or did you just get bored with them because you move too fast? Or they got bored with you for the same reason?" Ziva observed

"Tim isn't like those guys." Abby defended

"Yeah. I thought maybe he was one guy who would like you for who you are. Not for what you think all guys want." Ziva advised

"Ziva," Abby called out warningly

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe. I'm not gonna tell Mom and Dad." Ziva reassured

"Thank you." Abby called out

* * *

"Friday night. The Hilton Hotel. I don't have a room number yet, but I can get it." Ziva rattled

"All right, kiddo. Thanks for the Intel. You got anything on anybody else?" Gibbs asked as he held the 20 dollars out

"Maybe. Nothing I can discuss in present company." Ziva said with a nod in Jenny's direction

"Well, according to your informant, they haven't done anything yet. Until Friday in a hotel." Jenny noted

"Come on, honey. I know the location. I can shut this operation down just like that." Gibbs scoffed

"Oh, Gibbs, who are we kidding? If it doesn't happen there, it'll happen somewhere else." Jenny started

"Listen, we lost this battle with Kate, and I'm not about ready to throw in the towel with Abby, or for Ziva, for that matter." Gibbs vowed

"I know. Yeah, Ziva's sisters haven't exactly been stellar role models." Jenny said sadly, "So, what you gonna do, call in a drone strike on your daughter?"

"No. It's called psy-ops- psychological warfare. And luckily, one of our opponents is weak and easily manipulated." Gibbs theorised

* * *

"Hey. You wanted to see me, Sir," Tim asked as he entered the conference room again

"Listen, I'm sorry about what happened between you and Abby. She says you broke up. Nothing worse than being lied to." Gibbs consoled

"Yeah. I'm in a lot of pain." Tim tried with a hand over his heart

"Well, listen, I want to try to make it up to you. Thought maybe tonight I'd, uh, take you to, uh, learn how to build a boat. 'Cause you're an honourable guy. You really are. That's why I think of you like a son." Gibbs said sincerely

"A son? That means a lot to me, sir. And also makes Abby my sister. Which is uncomfortable and confusing." Tim spluttered

"You know what? If you ever have confusing thoughts, it might be helpful to ask yourself, What would Gibbs want me to do?" Gibbs said with an inner smirk

"I never thought of that." Tim said thoughtfully

* * *

"I feel sort of bad about how I treated your dad." Tim said as he opened the door of their hotel room

"Forget about him. Concentrate on me." Abby said seductively

"I don't know what to concentrate on first." Tim replied with a smile

"So, what do you want to do now?" Abby asked as she removed her coat slowly

"I don't know. What do I wanna do?" Tim wondered out loud

"_**What would Gibbs want you to do?" Tim pictured Gibbs sitting on the couch**_

"Not this." Tim said hurriedly as he moved away from Abby's embrace

"What?" Abby asked

"No, that's not what I meant. Uh What I meant to say is…"

"_**You're not ready for this." Spirit Gibbs asked as he paced**_

"You're not ready for this." Tim said, "Uh no. That's-that's not what I meant."

"_**You could do so much better than this guy."**_

"That's actually kind of hurtful." Tim answered

"What did I say?" Abby remarked

"Oh, no, no. Not you." Tim said with a shake of his head

"Tim, are you- are you all right?" Abby asked in concern

"No. My stomach has the flops, and I don't know what's going on in my head." Tim confided

"Are you having second thoughts about tonight?" Abby asked gently

"Kind of."

"Is it me?"

"No, no. You're amazing. It's just I know that when I rush into the physical stuff too fast, that becomes all there is in the relationship, and you stop trying to get to know each other in other ways." Tim apologised

"Oh. I was thinking the same thing. I might be a little fast to jump into physical stuff. I think that's 'cause I know I'm just really, really good at it." Abby reassured as she ran her hand soothingly over his arm

"Yeah. I figured you would be."

"But there's plenty of other stuff we could do at this hotel. Saw a pretty sweet bar mitzvah downstairs. I think they have karaoke. You wanna go?" Abby offered with a smile

"That sounds fun." Tim agreed

"You are a good guy. Let's go." Abby said with a chaste kiss

"Uh, well, now I-I can't." Tim said embarrassed as he crossed his legs

"Why?" Abby asked as she turned around

"Uh, I mean, I'm a good guy, but I'm still a guy." Tim shuffled as his ears turned red

"Oh."

"I'm just gonna sit here for a minute and think about your dad." Tim choked out

"Okay, I'll see you downstairs." Abby chuckled as she left the room

"_**You are a good guy, Tim."**_

"Yeah, that did it." Tim said with a smile as he ran after Abby.

_**31 September 2018**_


	26. Chapter 26

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie." Jenny wished as Gibbs strolled into the kitchen

"Yeah, yeah." Gibbs grumbled

"Listen, I made you a waffle sandwich with bacon and sausage." Jenny laughed as she held out the plate

"Wow. I have died and gone to heaven." Gibbs exclaimed in happiness, "At least I will if I keep eating like this."

"Almost as sweet as what I got you." Gibbs said as he swung a gift bag onto the counter, proceeding with his sandwich to the table

"Oh, Gibbs, seriously?" Jenny gaped

"Very good, Dad. Nice to see you stepping up." Kate complimented as she caught their exchange

"Oh, that's not for Valentine's Day. I don't believe in Valentine's Day." Gibbs clarified as he bit into his sandwich with a moan

"Yeah, we know." Jenny muttered

"Is a fake howiday." Andy announced

"Invented by?" Gibbs spoke between bites

"The flower and greeting-card cartel." Eric recited dutifully

"A stun gun?" Jenny blurted as she fished out her gift

"Unbelievable!" Kate declared

"Not just a stun gun, a great one. That thing will take down a moose." Gibbs explained, "You want to try it out?"

"Yeah, I kind of do." Jenny glared as she toyed with the gun

"You got your wife a taser for Valentine's Day?" Kate echoed in disbelief

"It's not for Valentine's Day." Gibbs insisted

"Yeah, it's also not romantic." Kate informed her father gently

"I got her something to protect her when I'm not around. There's nothing more romantic than that." Gibbs objected around his breakfast

"This is way more romantic than stupid, old perfume or jewellery." Jenny noted sarcastically

"Jewellery is just a mugger magnet, honey." Gibbs pacified

"Thanks for my taser. It's stunning!" Jenny drawled

"Andy, what do we say about puns?" Gibbs coached

"Wowest form of comdy." Eric quipped with thumbs down and Gibbs smirked before he left.

"After all these years, still , huh?" Kate giggled as she toyed with the taser

"Can somebody get that?!" Jenny yelled when the doorbell rang before she continued

"You know, it's okay, honey. I'm used to your father's practical gifts. I actually liked the coin sorter he got me last year." Jenny shrugged

"Yeah, but once in a while, wouldn't it be great to get something personal and frivolous?" Kate inquired

"Is anybody gonna get the door?!" Abby asked as she came down the stairs

"I was fixing breakfast!" Jenny replied as she made her way to the door

"I was fixing this!" Abby indicated her face wildly

"I was fixing to get the door, but I figured somebody else would." Ziva stated as she lounged on the couch, watching TV

"Oh, hey! Tim got me flowers!" Abby squealed happily

"There's no card." Jenny stated in confusion

"What kind of an idiot forgets the card?" Kate asked in exasperation

"Hey, Tim got Abby flowers." Ziva teased

"No, we don't know that. They could be for anybody." Jenny maintained, "Gosh, they're beautiful."

"Well, we know they're not for Ziva." Abby said confidently

"And why not?" Ziva retorted, eyes narrowing

"Guys don't usually send flowers to girls they're afraid of." Abby chirped

"They do if they know what's good for 'em." Ziva said dangerously

"And we know Dad didn't buy them for Mom." Kate interjected

"Oh, you know what? Fine, rub it in. But good luck to you lovebirds when you're trying to sort coins by hand." Jenny grunted

"Since you don't even live here, these babies got to be for mwah." Abby concluded

"Now that I think about it, I think that these flowers might be for me." Kate observed

"Kate, you live with Daniel. Why would he send flowers here?" Jenny wondered

"No, he didn't, and Daniel already gave me my present this morning." Kate gloated

"Gross." Ziva hollered

"And a single red rose on my pillow." Kate continued dreamily

"Gross and cheap." Ziva amended

"Actually, I think these flowers might be from my boss." Kate hypothesized

"The successful and dreamy Samuel Baker." Abby chimed

"Uh, honey, listen. Is there something going on between you and Samuel Baker?" Jenny asked in horror

"No, no, no, but I just think he's really hung up on me, and it would be so his style to send flowers here anonymously." Kate explained quickly, disgusted that Jenny had even considered the idea

"Well, it seems like somebody has a pretty high opinion of herself, which is a very unflattering trait. Plus, it's kind of my thing." Abby pointed out

"Samuel's been really attentive lately. He's been walking me to my car every night." Kate continued

"Yeah, but you are carrying the bank deposit for the restaurant. Maybe he's being attentive to his money." Jenny reasoned

"You know what? That's it. All this talk about these stupid flowers I want in on some of this Valentine's swag." Ziva said as she stood abruptly and headed for the door. "I think it's time for me to go out and get myself a real boyfriend."

"It's not like going to the pound and picking out a puppy." Jenny contributed

"You kidding? I'll have this locked down by dinner." Ziva snickered

"I'd be very afraid to be a teenage boy right about now." Kate shuddered

* * *

"Happy Valentine's, sweetie!" Tim wished as he leaned against his bed

"Aww, thank you so much for that huge bouquet of roses you sent me!" Abby gushed

"Oh, my God! You would be so welcome. You know if I had actually done that." Tim replied startled

"Oh, so they were for Kate." Abby murmured

"I'll give you your present when I see you tonight." Tim put in, "I am job hunting so I gotta go."

"Good bye Timmy," Abby purred

"Bye, Abs"

* * *

"I think that Valentine's Day takes the spontaneity out of love. When I give Jenny a surprise romantic gesture, she knows it's authentic." Gibbs was defending his refusal to celebrate the day with Mike at their morning coffee shop

"When was your last surprise romantic gesture?" Mike asked in shock

"I sent her a little arrangement of roses just today." Gibbs mentioned victoriously

"I'm confused now. You don't celebrate Valentine's Day." Mike said slowly

"That's what makes it a surprise! She's not expecting it." Gibbs tried

"Because you don't celebrate Valentine's Day." Mike finished

"Exactly. Making it a surprise." Gibbs declared

"Today's Valentine's Day. Everybody sends flowers." Mike maintained

"I don't. Thus the surprise." Gibbs tried again

"All right. Let me follow this. Now, for 25 years, you've been crapping on Valentine's Day because it's not spontaneous. This year, you buy her flowers, thus making it spontaneous." Mike pondered

"Listen to me. I'm the only guy on the planet that can surprise his wife with flowers On _Valentine's_ Day." Gibbs emphasised

"It's ingenious!" Mike decided, "I'm still getting Andy tonight?"

"Yeah. He's –uhm-excited." Gibbs stuttered as he looked for the right adjective

"Finally, somebody appreciates Uncle Mike." Mike smiled

"He actually prefers Amira." Gibbs chuckled at Mike's sudden scowl

* * *

"Gentlemen, I've invited you here today because I've decided it's time for me to have a real boyfriend." Ziva addressed the two boys in the classroom

"Um, I-I-I got a note to come here." A third boy said holding out the piece of paper

"Grab some chair, DiNozzo." Ziva ordered

"I'm here to congratulate the three of you on being finalists for the position of Ziva's boyfriend." Ziva announced

"When I look around this room, it's an honor just being nominated." A nerdy boy named Jacob spoke up

"Wait. This says the principal wanted to see me. Did you steal this from his office?" Tony asked as he took a seat

"I'll ask the questions here." Ziva barked, "Look, I know all three of you like me, but…"

"Uh, for the record, I've liked you since third grade, and I can prove it! I keep a pretty detailed diary." Jacob spoke up again, rooting around in his backpack for said diary

"Enough of the chitchat, ladies. We only got an hour here. There's going to be a multiple-choice quiz, a fitness test, and a short essay on the topic 'Ziva - smart girl who's pretty or pretty girl who's smart?'' Ziva filled in

"Or pretty girl who's lost her mind." Tony exclaimed, "Look, Ziva. I like you, okay? And if you want to go out sometime, then you know where to find me. But I'm not gonna jump through hoops for you."

"Hey, wait. You can opt out on the hoops and just do the rope climb, I mean…" Ziva yelled at his retreating back before she returned to the room

* * *

"So, we are completely booked for tonight." Samuel announced as he entered the back room

"Yeah? I bet you wish every day was Valentine's Day." Kate noted

"Uh, no. I'd go broke buying gifts for my Valentine." Samuel grimaced

"Uh, a-about that. That was the biggest bouquet I have ever seen." Kate revealed

"Huh?"

"You're gonna make me say it, aren't you? Uh look, uh, I th-think you're a really great guy." Kate sputtered

"Thanks! I'm glad I could pull that out of you." Samuel sighed

"But you have to know how happy I am with Daniel."

"Kate, I think there's been a misunderstanding."

"Am I misunderstanding you walking me to my car every night?"

"You carry the bank deposit."

"Obviously, it's very flattering that you're still so into me, but you need to move on."

"I'm getting so many compliments on my new bracelet, Samuel!" A woman screeched as she bounded into Samuel's arms, "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Oh, wow! That's so beautiful, Rachel!"

"You did know that Rachel and I were a thing, right?" Samuel iterated

"Of course! I am the assistant manager around here. I am on top of everything." Kate managed to say before fleeing

* * *

"Abby, Tim's here!" Ziva yelled

"It's Tim? Why didn't you let him in?!" Abby demanded of Ziva

"It's not my boyfriend. I got my own ball and chain to deal with." Ziva scoffed as she walked away

"Well, don't even think about cooking dinner, because I brought it home." Gibbs announced as he came through the door

"That is sweet, because I am exhausted." Jenny sighed turning slightly to see their dinner, "Hot dogs?!"

"Yeah! I saw this guy on YouTube cook these by tasering them." Gibbs explained excitedly, " Then, if it stops raining, we can go out and see if we can blow up this watermelon."

"And they say every love story's already been told." Jenny muttered before making her voice clear again, "Listen, uh, honey, I'm sorry, but, uh, I gave the taser away."

"Why would you give away my gift?" Gibbs demanded

"It's not like it was some kind of special Valentine's Day present. I gave it to Kate." Was Jenny's only response as she sorted the mail

"I mean, we could boil these hot dogs, but no one's gonna watch that on YouTube." Gibbs grumbled as he followed Jenny to the living room.

"Hey! Some beautiful flowers there." Gibbs complimented , "Somebody must be excited and _appreciative_."

"There was no card." Jenny told him

"What?"

"I know we don't do Valentine's Day, but I got to tell you, when these arrived, it was a little like rubbing salt in a wound."  
"And lemon."  
"And alcohol."

"Why don't you just say Margarita? I don't know what happened to the card, honey. I sent you those flowers."

"Okay." Jenny choked out between her fits of laughter

"Honey, I sent those flowers! I tell you I tell you, I got a receipt! Let me show you! I got a receipt."

"Yeah, after 22 years, I know the guy I married!" Jenny chuckled at his show of tearing apart his desk

"Right there I got a receipt." Gibbs held the receipt up victoriously and read, "It says right there. Stun gun."

Gibbs' face contorted when he realised that it was the wrong receipt

"This is ridiculous! You send flowers, you lose the card? What's up?" Gibbs grumbled as he continued his search through his desk

"I'll get it!" Ziva cried as she bolted down the stairs in time to open the door

"Hi, Ziva."

"Wow. Truffles. Nice." Ziva commented as the gift was thrust into her hands

"Uh, sit there and don't put your feet on anything." Ziva instructed as she let the boy into the house.

"Uh, who's this?" Jenny asked as she looked away from Gibbs' theatrics.

"Oh, this is my new boyfriend, Jacob but by a narrow margin. Could have gone either way." Ziva said with a shrug as she took a seat on the couch

"Hello, Mrs. Gibbs. You have a beautiful home." Jacob greeted, taking a seat himself

"Oh, thank you." Jenny said as she sat down too

"He's polite and writes a strong essay. But he's no arm wrestler, I'll tell you that." Ziva mentioned

"Got to hand it to you, Ziva. You actually brought home a boyfriend for Valentine's Day." Jenny complimented in slight surprise

"Yeah. Said I would. And I don't mess around. I'm gonna go get a soda." Ziva decided as she walked to the kitchen

"Can I get you anything, Jacob?!" Jenny exclaimed, horrified by Ziva's hospitability

"Oh, he's fine. He's got to get us reservations somewhere. Last-minute on Valentine's Day. We'll see what kind of juice this kid's got." Ziva glared at Jacob who immediately whipped out his phone.

"Hey, Daniel. Squirt." Ziva greeted casually as they entered through the back door

"Having a good Valentine's Day?" Daniel asked

"Oh, yeah. My boyfriend's taking me out tonight. Uh, he's in the living room if you want to go take a look at him." Ziva offered

"I want to take a look at him!" Eric yelled as he ran to the living room

"Where are you taking Kate tonight?" Ziva asked, making sure that Daniel was on top of his game.

"Ah, Kate is working tonight."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Uh yeah! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Uh, well, apparently, that Samuel Baker guy's into her."

"He wants to "hit that." It's an expression. You know, it means that he…"

"Yeah, I know what it means."

"He got her that big-ass bouquet in there." Ziva pointed to the bouquet which now lay on the coffee table.

"Samuel really sent her those?"

"Yeah. He walks her to her car every night, too. I have a boyfriend now, so I know how these animals operate."

"Yeah, uh, I'll be back later to pick up Eric." Daniel said to Jenny who entered the kitchen

"Oh, yeah, no problem. Got no special plans. I'll just be here sorting coins." Jenny grumbled as she made some coffee

"Hey, uh, Jacob, could you go get me a snack? Cheese, on crackers the round ones, not the saltines?" Ziva practically demanded of Jacob. Jacob immediately headed to the kitchen.

"Nice catch. Thought you wanted a boyfriend, not a butler." Jenny started as she took a seat next to Ziva

"It's love, Mom. He's all things to me."

"I'm just wondering, long term, how happy you're going to be with a guy who does everything you tell him to."

"Well, so far, I've kind of enjoyed it. I mean the guy got me candy on Valentine's Day. Dad got you a taser." Ziva said as if it were obvious

"No, your father is romantic. It's just he shows his love in ways that that that don't look anything like love."

"Mom, come on. I-I-I saw. You were disappointed when these flowers weren't for you."

"I mean, I sure, yeah. I mean, I there's a part of me that wishes your father would do what's predictable and expected, like Valentine's Day flowers, but honey, I am so much happier being with a guy who doesn't jump through hoops just because somebody invented a holiday!"

"Okay! I've arranged the crackers into a heart, and the cheese is the arrow." Jacob revealed as he came into the living room

"Jacob we've always been honest with each other, you know?" Ziva started gently, "Yeah, it's over."

"I should have seen this coming. I guess I was just hoping." Jacob said as he stood again

"Let's not draw this out." Ziva ordered as she walked him to the door

"Hey, it was nice meeting you, Jacob." Jenny said as Jacob walked down the lawn

"Oh, wait, uh, , I found this in your bushes." Jacob said as he handed her a white card.

"What's all this about?" Gibbs asked when he saw Jenny toying with the card

"Uh, Ziva's Ex-boyfriend, uh, just Found the card for the flowers." Jenny said, "It says, **_To Jenny_** There's, uh there's a message. "

"Maybe I have some romance left in me, huh?" Gibbs drawled from his leaning position

**_Bet you didn't see this coming.  
Ha!  
In your face._**

**_Love, Jethro._**

"Jethro, thank you!" Jenny teared as she practically leapt into his arms

"Happy February 14th!" Gibbs wished as he held Jenny close

* * *

"Here," Tim said as he pulled a notebook out of his pocket

"What's this?" Abby asked in surprise as they reached the front door

"This is my book, a mini printed edition," Tim explained, "There is only one of this copy and it's for you."

"That is amazing," Abby agreed as she opened the book. She flipped through it while they entered the house until the dedication caught her eye.

**_Abigail, you are the best girlfriend any guy could hope for and I want to remember our story forever. Parts of this book will keep our story alive forever yet at the same time take our relationship further. _**

**_Yours Forever, Tim_**

"That is so lame!" Ziva exclaimed as she saw the book with a bow

"No, that actually took a lot of thought."

"Followed immediately by complete absence of thought."

"You know what? That's actually the perfect gift. I would rather have a boyfriend who listens to me and makes me a heartfelt gift instead of going into debt buying something expensive and stupid."

"Am I the only one who gets this holiday?"

"What are you doing?" Abby asked as Tim knelt in front of her

"This was my grandmother's." He said as he held up the ring

"It's beautiful." Abby complimented

"Next to you, it's the thing that means the most to me in my life." Tim began, hoping to make the proposal as sweet as he could before something occurred to him, "Abigail Gibbs…Oh, shoot. Hang on. I got to ask your dad something."

"No, no, no, no, no. I'm good. Jenny's good. We're all good in here." Gibbs managed to yell from the living room

"Thank you, sir." Tim returned to his kneeling position, "Abigail Gibbs, will you marry me?"

"Yes." Abby squealed as she threw her arms around him

"Isn't love beautiful?" Jenny sniffled

"Yeah. Young love is." Gibbs mumbled, "Come on. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

"You sure you don't want me to walk you to your car?" Samuel asked as they exited the restaurant

"Oh, uh, no. I'm covered." Kate said as she held up her taser

"Hey, lady." Kate heard a voice drawl from the shadows

"Aah!" Kate cried as she fired the taser in the general area, only to see Daniel fall to the ground, "Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry! I'm so…. You scared the crap out of me, Daniel!"

"I haven't checked yet, but I think I'm in the same boat!" Daniel choked out

"Kate, you okay? What happened?" Samuel asked as he rounded the corner again

"I accidentally tased Daniel. He's fine. You should go."

"No, stick around!" Daniel tried to yell, "Give me 5 minutes to get up to my feet, and then I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Daniel, honey, nothing is going on between me and Samuel, okay?" Kate pacified

"Yeah, th-that's right. There's no way I can compete with you." Samuel said before fleeing

"Oh, honey, flowers?" Kate praised as she lifted the bouquet

* * *

"Customarily, at this point in the Valentine's festivities, the man and the woman retire to the bedchamber. But I know how you feel about mandatory romantic gestures, so…" Jenny trailed off suggestively

"Hey, hey, say no more. This is one area where Jethro Gibbs and agree." Gibbs whispered as he kissed Jenny again, "Hmm. Let's go to bed."

"You know, Gibbs, these flowers really are beautiful." Jenny said as they shut off the lights, "You act tough, but you're a softy."

"Not a word I'd like used to describe me in this present situation. But a little romance is not the worst thing in the world." Gibbs decided finally, "That is the worst thing in the world."

"Oh, that's that cute boy Tony DiNozzo from Junior ROTC and soccer!" Jenny exclaimed as she caught a glimpse of them in the porch light

"So, Kate is happily married with two children, Abby and Tim are getting married and Ziva is going to be going off to college," Gibbs recapped as he banged on the door

"Andy has a girlfriend who he's ditching us for," Jenny interjected with a smile

"What can I say; he gets it from his dad." Gibbs laughed before he lifted Jenny up ignoring her squeals and carried her to bed.

**Where should Ziva go to college? Please read and review. I am not American so all information is researched and therefore not accurate.**


End file.
